Folklore and Stephen Vincent Benet
Folklore and Stephen Vincent Benet
In 1898, Stephen Vincent Benet was born into a military family in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He had an older brother and one sister, all of who became well known authors of the 20th century. As Stephen grew up he constantly heard folktales that had been passed down from generation to generation, and as he began to write books, his great knowledge of folklore becomes evident. In the story, The Devil and Daniel Webster, Benet writes a classic short story about how a normal human could soften the hearts of not only 12 of the most ruthless and heartless criminals in the history of the USA, but also the heart of the Devil himself. The elements that classify it as a folk lore is the fact that it is very unlikely to happen, the story contains many characters that are the classic stereotypes and it ends with a general truth about life.
In actual life, the situation that is presented in The Devil and Daniel Webster is highly unlikely to happen which is one element that qualifies it as folklore. In the first chapter of the book, Jabez Stone and the devil strike up a deal, “and they went out behind the barn and made their bargain.”(TD&DW 197). Although some may argue that this is possible, it is still very unlikely to actually happen in real life. In Benets’ Reader’s Encyclopedia, it tells us how his father encouraged Benet to pursue writing, “His interest in literature, left his mark on his children…”(Benets’ Readers Encyclopedia 162) Using his fathers love for literature, Benet began to aim his life toward literature. A selection from The Devil and Daniel Webster says, “For the glitter was gone from the eyes of judge and jury, and, for the moment, they were men again, and knew they were men.”(TD&DW 207) This selection shows just how unlikely the story is to happen because Benet is suggesting that mire human could change the views of some of the most ruthless men in history, something that could not be done by any other man during their lives. And one of the most unbelievable selections is, “One and all, they came into the room with the fires of hell still upon them…”(TD&DW 204) Benet is suggesting that 12 men were brought back from the fires of hell to sit...