From the other aspect, the circumstances itself opened the new door for Washington Irving to visit and make good friendships in European countries which further would directly impact on his literary and political activity. These circumstances emerged by Irving’s illness. Being suffered from ill health he visited European countries for several times. The other reason which closely connected him to Europe was his political activity where he met the key representatives of different areas including literary world. One of the outstanding persons among his friends was Charles Dickens with whom Irving had good relations. At times, he had chance to express his thoughts and feelings about Irving and his literary activity. The valuable thoughts of …show more content…
He called those areas “lordly Hudson” where he created his valuable literary icons that will be passed from generation to generation. He was very talented author of hundreds works which played great role in American literature. At the same time he was a good man possessing humane qualities. In one of Azerbaijani proverbs it says that it is easy to become a scientist, but it is hard to become a man, it is meant to become a personality. It seems Irving possessed invaluable treasure inside which always led him to love people and nature. We can see these peculiarities of Washington Irving in salutatory speeches in his honour addressed by the persons whom he met and made friendships. Mr. James Wood, President of the Westchester County Historical Society, during encaenia of one hundredth birthday of Irving organized by Washington Irving Association at Tarrytown-on-Hudson, Tuesday, April 03, 1883 in salutatory address while emphasizing Irving’s talent as an author mentioned his other peculiarities as a person, citizen, neighbor, and gentleman. Also he added that we all realize that the renown of Washington Irving belongs to humanity [5, p.
Throughout Irving’s story, he used characterization, irony, the dreams, and other literacy devices to bring The Legend of Sleepy Hollow to life for Irving’s audience.
In Washington Irving’s work “Rip Van Winkle,” Irving demonstrates all characteristics of an American Mythology rather humorously. These characteristics affect the story attracting the attention of readers and impacting the reader’s experience of the story by relishing America’s unique attributes and values. In “Rip Van Winkle,” Irving incorporates attributes of American Mythology by setting the story in exciting pastimes, filling the story with strange and exaggerated characters, and featuring magical mysterious events.
Washington Irving: Moderation Displayed". Oxford UP. 1962. 233. in Discovering Authors.
In his stories the women were not portrayed as nice. Women were usually nagging and would fight with their husbands. Some critics felt that Irving took an anti-feminism approach to his writing. However some critic feel that The Legend of Sleepy Hollow shows importance of marriage. Some critics also argue the quality of his work. Some pieces of his work are considered remarkable. While other pieces of his work are considered not to be that good.
Irving uses imagery to help readers imagine the past and also impact the theme of supernatural. Irving writes, “The whole neighborhood abounds with local tales, haunted spots, and twilight superstitions; star shoot and meteors glare oftener across the valley than in any other part of the country, and the nightmare, with her whole ninefold, seems to make it the favorite scene of her gambols. The dominant spirit, however, that haunts this enchanted region, and seems to be commander-in-chief of all the powers of the air, is the apparition of a figure on horseback, without a head” (Irving 3-4). Once again, Irving makes a reference to the hessian soldier, the Headless Horseman, which brings back the past of the revolutionary war, he does this by using imagery in explaining what he looks like. This also ties in with the theme of supernatural. Irving also describes, “ There was a contagion in the very air that blew from that haunted region; it breathed forth an atmosphere of dreams and fancies infecting all the land” (Irving 1). This helps us readers imagine the atmosphere and the theme of supernatural within the town. The mentioning of the hauntings brings up the past once
The Romantic era writers, Washington Irving and Edgar Allan Poe, had many similarities but even more differences, in both writing theme and style. This is very evident in their works, “Rip Van Winkle”, by Irving, and “The Fall of the House of Usher”, by Poe.
Have you ever imagined being asleep in the forest for twenty years, coming back home and not knowing what has gone on all those years of your absence? Rip Van Winkle went through that, and had to come back home and face some real changes. The author Washington Irving has some interesting characters whom he puts in his short stories. Irving puts some characters in his short stories to reflect on some of his life. For example, Irving has similarities between Rip Van Winkle being asleep in the forest 20 years and Irving was in Europe for seventeen writing short stories and being the governor’s aid and military secretary. These two situations are similar, because they both didn’t know what they were going to come back too and were gone for such a long period of time. Irving does put some of his own life into his short stories and with a reason for his self-reflective works.
Washington Irving was born in New York City in 1783, he always had an appreciation of the land and people from there. Irving was quite opposed to the fact that New York was becoming and would become one of the biggest and most prominent cities in the entire world. Irving seemed to be fonder of the lush foliage and the rolling hills of the city, rather than a crowded city and huge port. Irving conveys his beliefs through Knickerbocker in "A History of New York," in the essay Irving says "Happy would it have been for New Amsterdam could it always have existed in this state of blissful ignorance and lowly simplicity, but alas! the days of childhood are too sweet to last! Cities, like men, grow out of them in time, and are doomed alike to grow into the bustle, the cares, and miseries of the world." (Irving 570). Irving believed that his New York would not be the same if it was given all of the exporting and importing power in the east, which it was and is not the way he wished it was.
In his work titled, “Washington Irving and the Genesis of the Fictional Sketch” Jeffrey Rubin-Dorsky writes on the fictional sketch as it relates to Irving’s work, “The Sketch Book.” On the setting he writes, “Irving’s literary sketches call attention to object as well as to observer and therefore rely upon a strong visual rendering of the realistic details of scene and setting” (232). A castle is immediately associated with wealth however, Irving continues on to write on the castle, “It is now quite fallen to decay, and almost buried among beech trees and dark firs; above which, however, its old watch-tower may still be seen struggling... “(107). The setting of the story may be set in a castle, but choosing to describe the castle this way indicates that the current family that occupies the castle is holding onto past wealth. This is the case as the story continues with Irving writing, “Though the warlike disposition of his predecessors had much impaired the family possessions, yet the baron still endeavored to keep up some show of former state” (107). By opening his story with a description of the castle in which the baron and his family are living in, Irving
Irving, Washington. "Washington Irving, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."" The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Ed. Paul Lauter. Sixth. Vol. B. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. 2321-40. Print. 2 vols. The Heath Anthology of American Literature.
Irving uses many other images and scenes within this story that could be delved into further. However, I believe these three main points, along with the knowledge of the political climate of the times, shows Irving’s genius in representing both sides of the political gamut. Irving was able to cater to both the British and the Colonist without offending either side. Irving’s genius was that even though this was an allegory of its time, its elements could represent either or both sides of the conflict during the Revolution. This dual representation in an allegorical story ensured his success, in both countries as a writer. It allowed Irving to make a political statement without taking sides.
Irving, Washington. The Norton Anthology American Literature. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2013. Print.
For a large part of his life, Stoker knew the world famous actor Henry Irving. Irving is said to have even inspired the Dracula character. Brigitte Boudreau states that “Many have described the friendship as one where Irving – like the notorious Count-depleted Stoker both physically and emotionally, from the moment they met until Irving’s last breath.” (Boudreau, 44).This is interesting for Stoker may have even been a closeted homosexual who was in love with Irving even though he had a wife named Florence Stoker at the time. In fact he was so devoted to him that he wrote an entire “idolatrous biography” about Irving. However, he was more likely to have been a “homosocial” man which means that he mostly associated himself with other men instead
, this quote suggests that Washington Irving had experience with theatre and arts so emotion is one this he can capture in most simplest way in his short story, some more obvious then others (No.3. 2016). He had very people to help him become the person that he is and known for, his father really did not support him but his Sister’s boyfriend did to him and encourage to make is his well-known stories. From this quote from the short story we can figure out that this town is most lively nor social place near the area “This name was given by the good housewives of the adjacent country from the inveterate propensity of their husbands to linger about the village tavern on market days. Not far from this village, perhaps about two miles, there is a little valley among high hills which is one of the quietest places in the whole
In the story, The Adventure Of The German Student by Washington Irving, the author makes the story interesting by leaving hints and clues to the readers about the beautiful girl whom Wolfgang has fallen for. In the beginning of the story, the student was haunted by devils so his family and friends suggested that he moved to Paris and so he did. For instance, “He became haggard and desponding. His friends discovered the mental malady preying upon him, and determined that the best cure was a change of scene” (Irving 1). His friends clearly knew that he was taken over by the devil and that his imaginations became very mad. His friends thought this was the best cure for him. However, as the student moved to France, the devil was still following