How American Short Stories development and transformation

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Introduction: American shorty stories underwent a major transformation and development during the 19th century. The developments made during this period are still evident in in todays’ literary works. The transformation of these short stories is clearly seen in the American stories The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne and in Washington Irving’s Rip Van Winkle. Generally, the two stories reveal the stylistic elements that were common in the 19th century’s short stories and how they contributed to the success of this genre.
Thesis: Irving and Hawthorne in Rip Van Winkle and The Birthmark respectively, use the stylistic elements of personification, symbolism, imagery, allegory, and irony in telling their stories.
The short stories Rip Van Winkle and The Birthmark have used the stylistic element of personification.
Symbolism is another stylistic element used in Rip Van Winkle and The Birthmark stories.
The other stylistic element is the use of imagery in both cases.
Apart from the mentioned, the short story genre also uses allegory as evidenced in the two stories.
Irony is also a common stylistic element in this genre of stories.
Quotes
“A dismembered branch of the great Appalachian family…swelling up to a noble height, and lording it over the surrounding country.”
“The comparatively recent discovery of electricity and other kindred mysteries of Nature seemed to open paths into the region of miracle,”
“as a symbol of his wife’s liability to sin, sorrow, decay, and death.”
“had fancied himself with his servant Aminadab, attempting an operation for the removal of the birthmark,”
“a man of science, an eminent proficient in every branch of natural philosophy,”
“The rocks presented a high impenetrable wall, over which the torrent came tumbling in a sheet of feathery foam, and fell into a broad deep basin.”
American Short Stories
American shorty stories underwent a major transformation and development during the 19th century. The developments made during this period are still evident in in todays’ literary works. The transformation of these short stories is clearly seen in the American stories The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne and in Washington Irving’s Rip Van Winkle. Generally, the two stories reveal the stylistic elements that were common in the 19th century’s short stories and how they contributed to the success of this genre. Irving and Hawthorne in Rip Van Winkle and The Birthmark respectively, use the stylistic elements of personification, symbolism, imagery, allegory, and irony that stood out as a yardstick to modern literary works.
The short stories Rip Van Winkle and The Birthmark have used the stylistic element of personification. In Rip Van Winkle for example, the author shows this when describing the Catskill Mountains. He gives the mountains a human quality when he describes them as, “a dismembered branch of the great Appalachian family…swelling up to a noble height, and lording it over the surrounding country,” (Irving, 7). By this, the mountains are compared to a person that is ric...