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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.
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 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.
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