Background Information: “The Devil & Tom Walker” The Romantic Hero & Archetypal Characters

5 “I’s” of Romanticism Imagination Intuition Innocence Inner Experience Inspiration

Characteristics of a Romantic Hero Big ego Experience life fully Non conformists Extraordinary Achievements Die young

Characteristics of the Romantic Hero A romantic hero must possess an understanding of his inner-self or inner-world.  He must also understand the value of his experiences through emotions, intuition, and feelings rather than logically reasoning.  The romantic hero does not follow the typical path of “epic” or “everyman” heroes. The audience must also be able to emotionally connect with the romantic hero on some level of emotion so that no matter the experience of the hero, the audience will relate to his experiences.

sophisticated, mysterious, and a bit dangerous. a moody rebel, who can be very arrogant. attractive to women who are drawn to his complicated personality, hidden conflicts, and secret past. drawn to nature and filled with intuition. reject the standard guidelines of society and adhere to their own code of morality and justice. (think Batman, not Superman).

Romantic Heroes in Classic Literature Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind. Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre

“Modern” Romantic Heroes Tobias (Divergent) Edward (Twilight) Batman Beast (Beauty & The Beast) Kyle (Beastly)

NOTE: We are NOT talking about Romantic as in Romantic Love We are talking about Romantic as in from Roman Times

Watch for traits of the Romantic Hero in the character of Tom!

Archetype “The Devil and Tom Walker” is an American version of the archetypal story of Faust, the sixteenth-century German philosopher who sells his soul to the devil for knowledge and power. The story of a person who sells his or her soul to the devil for worldly gain is an archetypal plot. The most famous and influential version of the tale is Faust, a play by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749- 1832). Each retelling of the Faustian legend puts a different spin on the story, and the ending may change: The Faust character, for example, may face eternal flames, find forgiveness and love, or somehow cleverly beat the devil. The deal also do NOT have to include a LITERAL devil.

Literature with “Faustian Bargain” The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, by Christopher Marlowe The Bet, by Anton Chekhov (no “devil”) The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde (no “devil”) Rosemary's Baby, novel by Ira Levin Young Goodman Brown, by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Can you think of several movies or television shows that have the similar plots?

Movies with “Faustian Bargain” All Dogs Go to Heave 2 H-E-Double Hockey Sticks Spawn Bedazzled O’ Brother, Where Out Thou? Constantine Tenacious D: Pick of Destiny Ghost Rider

TV “Faustian Bargain” The Simpsons episode "Bart Sells His Soul” Supernatural Season 2: “Crossroad Blues” The episode begins with the legend of Robert Johnson meeting the devil at a crossroads, in exchange for his soul, would be able to play the guitar like no other. The rest of the episode is dedicated to Sam & Dean (protagonists) saving another soul from a deal made with a demon 10 years ago.

Literary Focus: Mood Mood– the overall feeling or atmosphere of a story, play, or poem– may be the most difficult literary element to define. After all, mood is intangible; you can’t point to mood in a text It’s all about the reader’s feelings

In order to identify a story’s mood, start with the setting. Pay close attention to the details of time and place, and ask yourself how the setting makes you feel. Look carefully at the writer’s word choice. For example: is a tree rotting or budding? Then, consider the plot Does it end happily, or does is present a bitter or tragic outlook on life?

The mood of most stories can be identified with one or two adjectives: Gloomy, romantic, threatening, and so on Remember that even though you may sense several moods in some stories, one dominate feeling will usually prevail. Ex: humor in the midst of horror, for example