As the unanimously acknowledged classic writers, Hawthorne ,together with his works has not only been mentioned persistently by those great writers, but been studied thoroughly by numerous literary and cultural theories. When it comes to the modern ages, even some critics coined the terms as “Hawthorne Tradition”. This article traced back the academic history of Hawthorne studies for over one hundred and fifty years, from the late 19th century to the early 21st century. Especially during the period from the middle 20th century onwards, every literary criticism, such as new criticism, archetypal criticism, psychoanalytical criticism, female criticism deconstructionism, and new historicism has ever made its application to Hawthorne. Perhaps, the phenomenon itself that generations of critics took a great interest in Hawthorne is a worthwhile way for research.