Compare/Contrast Rip Van Winkle and The Devil and Tom Walker

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Both of the stories by Washington Irving are fictitious tales written in the mid 1800’s. The author, Washington Irving, was an influential author. He invented narrators, who were both comical and fictional, to explain his stories. His work was based on German folk tales, and he added an American twist to the age-old tales. The first thing that strikes me after reading both of these stories is that Irving uses inflated diction in both. This is another reason Irving became so popular. This way of writing made the story more enjoyable and comical. However, to some readers, inflated diction could be confusing and annoying. Either way, this style is prevalent in both of the stories. Another thing these stories have in common are eit...

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