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Characteristics of the romantic period
Characteristics of the romantic period
Romantic-period Literature Characteristics
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In The Devil and Tom Walker, by Washington Irving- many themes that coincide with the ideals of the romantic period are discussed, such as the value of life and the beliefs of heaven and hell. Henry Longfellow was a poet during the romantic period, he is best known for his poem “Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.” Many of Longfellow’s poems revolved around themes of heaven and hell and the beauty of nature. These men express their views very different, however they share some of the same ideals such as the belief in heaven and hell.
Washington Irving was a writer during the romantic period and he is best known for his short stories, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Wrinkle. He was very insightful in the short story The Devil and Tom Walker,
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in this short story the themes are the monetary value of life and the religion in which there is a heaven and hell. “I am the great patron and prompter of slave dealers, and the grand master of the Salem witches. The upshot of all which is, that, if I mistake not, said Tom, sturdily, you are he commonly called Old Scratch."(Holt literature p.156). This quote Tom is talking to Old Scratch (the devil) this reveals that there is a hell and that certainly means there is a heaven for where there is evil good shall be there too. Later in the story Tom sells his soul to the devil thus putting a monetary value on his life, “There was one condition which need not be mentioned, being generally understood in all cases where the devil grants favors; but there were others about which, though of less importance, he was inflexibly obstinate.”(Holt literature p.158). They discuss terms of who got the treasure and settled on a deal- Tom turns user and opens a banker's shop for the devil and he gets riches of his wildest dreams. Later in the story Tom is arguing with a customer and he says "The devil take me, said he, if I have made a farthing!"(Holt literature p.159). This on Tom’s part was a mistake the devil soon came and took Tom because he was driven by greed and his mind was clouded with riches. This ties back to putting on monetary value on life because he sold his sold for money. This ended The Devil and Tom Walker- I found this story very intriguing and I believe Washington Irving is a magnificent writer. Just as Washington Irving was a great writer Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a brilliant poet during the romantic period.
“… Displays a cross of snow upon its side. Such as the cross I wear upon my breast…” (Holt literature p.174). In this quote he states that the narrator “wears a cross upon his breast” which indicates that the narrator might have religious views. This tells us that Longfellow might have had a religious preference- this isn’t surprising though because of the time period. The romantic period focused a lot on the reliance of God through nature. In his poem “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls” Longfellow writes of the beauty in nature “ The little waves, with their soft, white hands, Efface the footprints in the sands…”(Holt literature p.172). In this quote he writes about the waves of the sea and how they erase the footprints in the sand. He does this by using personification; personification is when you give inanimate objects human qualities. This tells us Longfellow loves the serine beauty in nature. Another great quote “The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls…” (Holt literature p.174). This quote shows us great imagery and shows us how great of an imagination Longfellow had. The great imagery in Longfellow’s poems made him such a marvelous writer in his time
period. In both these literary works: The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Irving and the poems written by Longfellow- more specifically, “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls” and “The Cross of Snow.” They both share one specific theme- Religion and the belief in a heaven and hell. In The Devil and Tom Walker they talk about “Old Scratch” or the devil, “I am the great patron and prompter of slave dealers, and the grand master of the Salem witches. The upshot of all which is, that, if I mistake not, said Tom, sturdily, you are he commonly called Old Scratch."(Holt literature p.156). When Washington Irving talks of a devil in The Devil and Tom Walker then there could be a hell and heaven. This is the same as in Longfellow’s poem “The Cross of Snow” when he speaks of a cross made of snow on the side of a mountain as well as the cross he wears on his chest. “… Displays a cross of snow upon its side. Such as the cross I wear upon my breast…” (Holt literature p.174). This tells the reader that the narrator might have a religious preference that involves a heaven and a hell. Even though Washington Irving and Longfellow have so much in common in their writings they have a lot of differences as well. Washington Irving has a darker tone than Longfellow does, Washington writes in The Devil and Tom Walker “They lived in a forlorn looking house that stood alone and had an air of starvation. A few straggling savin trees, emblems of sterility, grew near it; no smoke ever curled from its chimney; no traveler stopped at its door.” (Holt Literature p. 154). This quote descripts Tom Walkers lonely and derelict house- another quote depicts the lonely, eerie swamp. “The swamp was thickly grown with great gloomy pines and hemlocks, some of them ninety feet high; which made it dark at noonday, and a retreat for all the owls of the neighborhood.” (Holt Literature p.154). Unlike Washington Irving, Longfellow has a more realistic tone when it comes to his poems, just like he states in “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls”- “The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls…” (Holt literature p.174). The two writings also differ because Longfellow has nature at a more powerful stance than Washington Irving. Longfellow says in “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls”- “The little waves, with their soft, white hands, efface the footprints in the sands…” (Holt literature p.172). This gives Mother Nature a more powerful outlook because she can just erase human traces from earth like they were nothing. There are many ways Longfellow and Washington Irving differ and these are only a few examples. To conclude Washington Irving and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, both have many similarities, but also have many differences. Both of their writings coincide with the ideals of the romantic period, but they differ in their representation of these themes. Overall both of these writers are very accomplished and skilled writers.
In “The Devil and Tom Walker,” written by Washington Irving’s, Tom Walker gives his soul to the devil for greediest. For example, in the story, it was said, “He accumulated bonds and mortgages, gradually squeezed his customers closer and closer and sent them at length, dry as a sponge, from his door.” This shows how greedy and selfish he was for not caring about what anyone else feels,
In Longfellow’s poem, The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls, Longfellow states “The little waves, with their soft white hands, / Efface the footprints in the sands.” By personifying the waves in the ocean, longfellow reveals the truth that all humans eventually die and their mark on the world is erased, like the waves wash away the footprints. In this imaginative way, Longfellow shows how no one lasts forever. Multiple times in other parts of the poem, Longfellow writes “And the tide rises, the tide falls.” Longfellow is expressing that the ocean is continuous, regardless of what happens. After losing his second wife, Longfellow was very depressed, and in this poem he is accepting that life goes on after someone dies. Using his imagination, Longfellow states the truth of the inevitability of death and the fact that life does not stop in the event of
During the American Renaissance, writers were put into one of two categories. The categories were the Dark Romantics and the Transcendentalists. Some Dark Romantics include Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Washington Irving. The Dark Romantics stories included creepy symbols, horrific themes, and psychological effects of guilt and sin. The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Irving gives a few examples as to why life is meaningless to some people.Humans are not all good, there are some cruel people in this world. The Pit and the Pendulum tells you exactly why.
"About the year 1727, just at the time when earthquakes were prevalent in New England, and shook many tall sinners down upon their knees, there lived near this place a meager miserly fellow of the name of Tom Walker." (Irving) “The Devil and Tom Walker” is a short story written by Washington Irving in about 1824. The story is about a man who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for Pirate Kidd’s hidden treasure. The man, named Tom Walker, is a greedy, selfish man who thinks money is more important than his wife. “The Devil and Tom Walker” is the best short story example of Romanticism. The story uses escapism, nature as a form of spirituality, and imagination, which are all tenets of Romanticism.
Good and Evil in The Devil and Tom Walker The concept of evil in the short story "The Devil and Tom Walker" can be shown in many ways, by Irvings' symbolism. In the short story, Tom Walker symbolizes all of mankind by portraying him as being "sinful" and evil. When there is an intent to destroy, then we get a different level of hatred.
Washington Irving’s “The Devil and Tom Walker” includes great examples of Romanticism, such as symbols in nature having links to the supernatural, the importance of the inner nature, and the emphasis of the individual. In the story, Tom Walker is a selfish man who cares more about money than he does about anyone else, including his wife. One day, while he is walking through the woods, Tom Walker comes across the Devil, who makes a deal with him to exchange his soul for the treasure that is buried in those woods. Tom declines and returns back to his wife and tells her that he has passed on an opportunity that could bring them lots of money. Tom’s wife, outraged by his actions, decides to strike a deal of her own with the Devil and after several attempts, she never returns from the woods. The next time Tom goes to the woods he finds that his wife had been killed by the Devil. He finally agrees to make the deal with him, now that Tom doesn’t have to share anything with his wife. Tom ignores the Devil’s suggestion of becoming a slave-trader and becomes a moneylender instead. He gets wea...
Washington Irving the author of the tale “The Devil and Tom Walker” uses stories from literatures past, to make a compelling tale, The Devil and Tom walker represents the importance of processing morals and the problems associated when virtue fails to exist. He also creates the right tone for the story and gives details throughout the story, so the readers figure out the topic of the story and how it will change their perspective on the temptation of greed. “Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.”-Erich Fromm. He describes each character in a way that you can assume who they are, their character, and the decisions that they might make throughout the story. However, he provides a background for each character to understand their choses and their ultimate demise.
There have been numerous stories, tunes, movies, and craft depicting the exemplary story of man vs. the fallen angel. The old German legend of "Faust," which is accepted to be the primary impact in Washington Irving's "The Devil and Tom Walker", was utilized as a lesson to alarm individuals from wrongdoing. On the other hand, Washington utilized the general subject of bartering with the villain for a lavishly typical and captivating story with inconceivable detail and style of prominent gothic fiction in Europe, where he inhabited the time it was composed. Irving's dull unmistakable style and three naughty characters passed on the ethical message of Faust all around by utilizing typical talk and dark parody.
One way Longfellow establishes his message is through the personification of snow and the ship that the skipper was sailing. Personifying the snow that “fell hissing in the brine” (line 23) contributes towards the central theme of the poem. A hissing noise makes the scene seem more deadly and dangerous than people would think it is. It resembles the hidden imminent dangers that are present if people get overconfident. The hissing sound of the snow
Can you imagine yourself locked up in a room with no doors? Similar to a room with no doors, there is no way out of hell if it was one's destiny. In the short story "The Devil & Tom Walker" by Washington Irving, the main character's fate is hell because of his wrong decisions in life, accepting a deal with the devil for earthly benefits. Irving reinforces his message about not making decisions that may damn your soul with the use of literary elements and figurative language. Wisely, Irving combines characterization, mood and point of view to perpetuate the theme of the story in the reader's mind.
Written during the American Romanticism period, “The Devil and Tom Walker,” by William Irving, personifies the belief in the primacy of imagination. The period of Romanticism in America is often seen as the crucial period of American culture, as it was the central movement of the Renaissance period that moved into a more free-feeling and artistic approach to literature. American Gothic literature made its early appearance with William Irving, first with “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” in 1820, and carrying over to “The Devil and Tom Walker” in 1824, both of which use a macabre approach to establish a moral ending (Matterson). Told by a narrator known as Geoffrey Crayon, “The Devil and Tom Walker” takes on the tone of a legend or tall tale as the story describes the life of a greedy money lender by the name of Tom Walker, who sells his soul to the devil to gain wealth. Irving ultimately uses literary elements such as symbolism and character development, as well as themes such as greed and hypocrisy to establish a moral to the corrupt man’s tale.
Just as the European romantics cared about emotions, nature, imagination, meditation, humanity and freedom, the American first "group of great imaginative writers -Irving, Bryant and Poe" (readers Note p 57) -cared about the them too . In their writings, these writers were taken by the romantic ideals empathizing on nature, creating their own world, borrowing sets from the past or from legends, meditating their life, and finding their own explanations to its processes . With such attitudes, these writers made their way into literature as romantics . " The Devil And Tom Walker","Hop Frog", " To a Waterfowl" and "Thanatopsis" serve as good examples for American Romanticism .
Irving Washington. "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym. 5th ed. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1998. 948-69.
Have you ever imagined being asleep in the forest for twenty years, coming back home and not knowing what has gone on all those years of your absence? Rip Van Winkle went through that, and had to come back home and face some real changes. The author Washington Irving has some interesting characters whom he puts in his short stories. Irving puts some characters in his short stories to reflect on some of his life. For example, Irving has similarities between Rip Van Winkle being asleep in the forest 20 years and Irving was in Europe for seventeen writing short stories and being the governor’s aid and military secretary. These two situations are similar, because they both didn’t know what they were going to come back too and were gone for such a long period of time. Irving does put some of his own life into his short stories and with a reason for his self-reflective works.
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls”. Elements of Literature: Fifth Course. Austin: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2008. 196. Print.