The stories "Devil and Tom walker" and "Rip Van Winkle" have very much in common. Both stories include much vivid and quite extensive detail. They both describe nature at length. In each story, the author aims to describe one attribute of nature, and it ends up being an entire paragraph of details of that attribute in nature (Definitions of Romanticism). For example, at the beginning of Rip Van Winkle, instead of Irving just telling us that there are mountains, he says "Whoever has made a voyage up the Hudson must remember the Catskill Mountains. They are a dismembered branch of the great Appalachian family, and are seen away to the west of the river, swelling up to a noble height, and lording it over the surrounding country. Every change of season, every change o weather, indeed, every hour of the day, produces some change in magical hues and shapes of these mountains, and they are regarded by all the good wives, far and near, as perfect barometers. When the weather is fair and settled, they are clothed in blue and purple, and print their bold outlines on the clear evening sky; but sometimes when the rest of the landscape is cloudless, they will gather a hood of gray vapors about their summits, which, in the last rays of the setting sun, will glow and light up like a crown of glory" (RVW Irving 2). Also, in Romanticism writing, the writing is less idealistic, and more practical. The writing style was down to Earth, rather than some high up and exalted form of writing (Definitions of Romanticism). In "Rip Van Winkle", the the summation of the story, Rip was not affected by the knowledge that he now lived in a free country. To him that seemed unimportant compared the the knowledge that his wife was no longer in existence. Instead of gaining his life and liberty from a free country, he gained it from knowing that the nagging woman he had been enslaved to was no longer a threat (The Van Winkle Project). Just as in the two stories, Romanticism writings tended to be about more common things that many people could relate to. (Definitions of Romanticism). The writing styles of both stories were so clearly written in the Romanticism era of writing.
In both stories, there are many common threads. It appears quite obvious in reading them that they very well could have the same author, which they do; Washington Irving. In "The Devil and Tom Walker", the devil comes to make a deal with Tom, and his wife wants Tom to bargain with him. Since Tom's wife wants him to, he defiantly rebels. It was not of his own moral compass or honor that he refused the offer of the devil, but because he wanted to defy his nagging wife in every way possible (The Devil and Tom Walker). Likewise, in "Rip Van Winkle", Rip also defies his wife. Although he was a "henpecked" man, who grew in character out of the tragedy of having a nagging wife, he still defied her. After Rip could not take his wife's nagging anymore, he retreated to the mountains, which were described in the first paragraph (RVW Irving). Just as Rip no longer had to deal with his wife, Tom Walker was also freed from his, when his wife disappeared after trying to bargain with the devil (The Devil and Tom Walker). In both "The Devil and Tom Walker", and "Rip Van Winkle" both men were stripped of the things that they prided themselves on. Rip was proud of knowing everyone in the town. He loved helping others and knowing everyone personally. The story says that even dogs in the neighborhood would not bark at Rip (Rip Van Winkle, 2). After Rip returns from the mountains, he no longer has that security. He hardly even recognizes, and absolutely nobody recognizes Rip. Also, both stories seem to be legends, and there is a lesson to be learned from each story.
These two stories are very similar in writing style, content, theme, and detail. They are both of the Romanticism writing style and both Written by Washington Irving.
"Literary Analysis of Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving." The Van Winkle Project. Web. 07 Dec. 2011. .
"Definitions of Romanticism." Virginia Commonwealth University. Web. 07 Dec. 2011. .
Irving, Washington. "The Devil and Tom Walker." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 240-250. Print.
Irving, Washington. "Rip Van Winkle." Bartleby.com. Web. 06 Dec. 2011.
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