The Devil And Daniel Webster

THE STORY: Jabez Stone, young farmer, has just been married, and the guests are dancing at his wedding. But Jabez carries a burden, for he knows that, having sold his soul to the Devil, he must, on the stroke of midnight, deliver it up to him. Shortly before twelve Mr. Scratch, lawyer, enters and the company is thunderstruck. Jabez bids his guests begone; he has made his bargain and will pay the price. His bride, however, stands by him, and so will Daniel Webster, who has come for the festivities. Webster takes the case. But Scratch is a lawyer himself and out-argues the statesman. Webster demands a jury of real Americans, living or dead. Very well, agrees the Devil, he shall have them, and ghosts appear. Webster thunders, but to no avail, and at last realizing Scratch can better him on technical grounds, he changes his tactics and appeals to the ghostly jury, men who have retained some love of country. Rising to the height of his powers, Webster performs the miracle of winning a verdict of Not Guilty.

Washington Civic Theatre presents "The Devil and Daniel Webster," a play in one act by Stephen Vincent Benet. [Directed by Day Tuttle, settings by William M. Girvan].

From the New York Times bestselling author of You Should Have Known and Admission, a twisty new novel about a college president, a baffling student protest, and some of the most hot-button issues on today's college campuses. Naomi Roth is the first female president of Webster College, a once conservative school now known for producing fired-up, progressive graduates. So Naomi isn't surprised or unduly alarmed when Webster students begin the fall semester with an outdoor encampment around "The Stump"-a traditional campus gathering place for generations of student activists-to protest a popular professor's denial of tenure. A former student radical herself, Naomi admires the protestors' passion, especially when her own daughter, Hannah, joins their ranks. Then Omar Khayal, a charismatic Palestinian student with a devastating personal history, emerges as the group's leader, and the demonstration begins to consume Naomi's life, destabilizing Webster College from the inside out. As the crisis slips beyond her control, Naomi must take increasingly desperate measures to protect her friends, colleagues, and family from an unknowable adversary. Touching on some of the most topical and controversial concerns at the heart of our society, this riveting novel examines the fragility that lies behind who we think we are-and what we think we believe.

Thirteen O'Clock: Stories of Several Worlds is a collection of Benét's finest and most famous short stories, including “The Devil and Daniel Webster” (1936), “By the Waters of Babylon” (1937), and “The King of the Cats” (1929). The complete contents consists of: By the Waters of Babylon The Blood of the Martyrs The King of the Cats A Story by Angela Poe The Treasure of Vasco Gomez The Curfew Tolls The Sobbin' Women The Devil and Daniel Webster Daniel Webster and the Sea Serpent Glamour Everybody was Very Nice A Death in the Country Blossom and Frui Introduction by Karl Wurf

"This unique collection gathers a generous selection of Benet's verse - including the previously unpublished first book of Western Star - together with sixteen of his celebrated short stories. Townsend Ludington provides an illuminating introductory essay on this great, neglected American master."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Having promised his soul to the Devil in exchange for good fortune, Jabez Stone asks the talented lawyer Daniel Webster to get him out of the bargain. Through a versatile array of masterly short stories, Benet explored such subjects as American society, history, politics, and the supernatural. Among the two dozen stories selected for this volume are the haunting title story and the wrenching "A Death in the Country." A final section representing Bent's nonfiction collects several of his penetrating essays on writing and education, including "Most Unforgettable Character I've Known." Sensitively selected and thoughtfully arranged, this vibrant anthology will reintroduce readers to an American master.