Edgar and Washington

The Power of Supernatural Elements in Ligeia ' and The Devil and Tom Walker

Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849 ) and Washington Irving (1783-1859 ) both belong to the genre of American Romantics . This essay shall describe the use of supernatural elements by these two Romantics , as found in the two stories . But first , a little about `Romanticism ' and the tendency of some Romantics to use dark , dramatic supernatural themes shall be briefly touched

The classification of `romantics ' itself is very broad and may be explained as a set of intellectuals who took to `Rational

- thinking and gradually it became a movement encompassing artists from all art forms such as literature and poetry , paintings , and music . The common thread linking the romantics was that they were centered round new conceptions of nature and human personality ' with the possibility of stressing on the trait of Man 's fundamental goodness (Parkes , 1953 Thus emotions and intuitions became the guiding spirit , instead of his intellect with nature and spontaneity becoming his focus of his interest , to become the vehicle of the divine spirit ' - thereby developing what came to be called the Romantic individualism (Parkes , 1953 ) in American writing . Given these common elements of Romanticism in all works of that age , the intellectuals of the period may be broadly divided into two , the optimists like Emerson , Thoreau and Whitman and pessimists like Poe , Melville and Hawthorne . The latter were more profoundly influenced the darker side , the pessimistic aspects of Romanticism . This led to a whole lot of opposing forces between Man 's aspirations and the conditions under which he must live , in isolation from fellow human beings (Parkes , 1953 . This explains why one often comes across morbid , shocking , incredible and supernatural elements acting as powerful influences in the themes of these Often , death , treachery , jealousy , lust and greed bound in their characters . They are comparable to the `dystopians , who were basically counter-theorists of the `Utopians

Indeed , Poe is one of the pioneers to use the supernatural-incredible-happenings plot to cast a spell on his audience and lend an air intrigue and mystery to his stories and the short story Ligeia (1838 ) is a good example of the above . The story opens with a clue to theme - Man doth not yield himself to the angels nor , unto death utterly , save only through the weakness of his feeble will - Joseph Glanvill (Poe , 1838 . The protagonist tells the tale of his inexhaustible love for his wife Ligeia , who reciprocates the intensity of his love , but is soon snatched away by disease and death Strangely enough she makes him repeat the lines she had composed , which also signifies the chilling events to come , And over each quivering form , The curtain , a funeral pall , Comes down with the rush of a storm And the angels , all pallid and wan , Uprising , unveiling , affirm That the play is the tragedy "Man " And its hero the Conqueror Worm . Horror mystery , death , melancholy , strange inexplicable events , fill the story and mark the death of Lady Rowena...