“…And they lived happily ever after.” Romantic stories did not always have a happy ending. In fact, the predecessors of the modern romantic stories were about the evil of human nature. The works of early American writers Irving, Cooper, and Poe show the influence of European Romanticism. Irving would use an emphasis on nature, the supernatural, and superstitions in his stories. Cooper’s stories would use the past, exotic locations, and individualism. The supernatural, the emphasis of nature, and exotic locations were used in Poe’s works.
Washington Irving would use an emphasis on nature, the supernatural, and superstitions in his stories. His story “The Devil and Tom Walker” depicted nature as mysterious. Tom walked through a swamp that was so thick that when it was noon it would be still be very dark. At times, water logs would look like alligators floating in the water. The supernatural realm also played an essential role in the story. The devil, being the supernatural being, seemed to have the ability to trade riches for a person’s soul. Tom, having sold his soul, sought to outsmart the devil by enlisting the help of another supernatural power, God, by carrying a bible. In the end, the devil took his soul and he learned a lesson he cannot forget. Another of Irving’s works The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, demonstrates the power than superstition can have over people. Ichabod Crane was a very superstitious man who avoided walking under ladders, crossing black cats, or tipping over the salt shaker. When Ichabod heard the legend of sleepy hollow, he was so frightened even then simplest of noises like cattails beating on a log, scared him. The characteristics of Irving’s works have been clearly expressed, thus proving that his works were in fact romantic.
The Term Paper on Washington Irving, Comparison Of 4 Short Stories
Throughout four of Washington Irving’s short stories, characters manipulate the beliefs and superstitions of others for self-beneficence. A predominant sub-theme in these stories is romanticism. The four stories that will be discussed are “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, “Rip Van Winkle”, “The Devil and Tom Walker”, and “The Spectre Bridegroom.” ...
James Fenimore Cooper’s stories would use the past, exotic locations, and individualism. The Last of the Mohicans, a famous work by Cooper, was set in the past, before 1757. The French and the English were fighting over who would control the land. Native Americans were more or less forced to choose sides. In no other time, has there really been a need for the help of Native Americans. The timing is perfect since most of the main characters were Native Americans. Another characteristic of Romanticism in The Last of the Mohicans was the use of exotic locations. There was a certain beauty during the Revolutionary period. The landscape was almost entirely made up of lush, green forests, full of animals, plants, and streams. The land seemed to have certain tranquillity to it, since there were hardly any people to inhabit the land. Another story of Cooper “A Rescue: from the Deerslayer” has a very good illustration of individualism. Natty Bumppo, having been raised by a Native American, was unlike any other traditional white men during this time. He walked into the tribe of the Huron and risked death just to save Hist. He was cunning and skilled, convincing the Huron chief to release him from bondage and then killing several Huron with a single shot. Cooper’s works are romantic, because they were one of the firsts to use the American Romantic hero.
The supernatural, the emphasis of nature, and exotic locations were used in Edgar Allan Poe’s works. Poe’s story “The Fall of the House of Usher” involved the work of the supernatural. Usher was saddened by the loss of his sister to an illness. Strange things begin to happen as the narrator arrives: the outside is filled a strange, ghastly glow and the house seems to come alive. Near the end of the story is when the strangest supernatural thing occurs. The figure of Usher’s sister flows through the hallway, takes Usher’s life, and destroys the house. The same story has an emphasis of nature in relation to Usher’s family. Over the years, the house had become littered with plants and fungi. The plants were like Usher’s family who have kept the house for many generations. The plants also demonstrated the mysteriousness of nature. The house of Usher was full of decay and water that should have caused harm to the house and yet the house was still very sturdy. Another story by Poe “The Cask of Amontillado” takes place in an exotic place in England. The story starts at what appears to be a carnival. Later it the setting switches to the catacombs of Montresor’s palazzo. It is a place unlike any other, with bones scattered about. It was damp and mysterious, the perfect place for revenge. Poe has turned the evilness of human nature into works of Romanticism.
The Essay on Fall Of The House Roderick Story Poe
The Fall of the House of Usher: Imagery and Parallelism In his short story 'The Fall of the House of Usher', Edgar Allen Poe presents his reader with an intricately suspenseful plot filled with a foreboding sense of destruction. Poe uses several literary devices, among the most prevalent, however are his morbid imagery and eerie parallelism. Hidden in the malady of the main character are several ...
The influence of European Romanticism is shown by the works of Irving, Cooper, and Poe. An emphasis on nature, the supernatural, and superstitions were all part of Irving’s works. Cooper would use the past, exotic locations, and individualism in his stories. Poe’s works would use the supernatural, the emphasis of nature, and exotic locations. Even the darkest regions of the human mind can be captured, placed into writing and become romantic.
