A Brief Biography of Washington Irving

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“WHETHER we agree or not with the judgment that Washington Irving was the first American man of letters, it is not to be questioned that he was the first American author whose work was received abroad as a permanent contribution to English literature” (W.A.N). The creation of his greatest stories revolve around his personal life in New York and the time after the American Revolution. This time in history was the beginning of imagination. People began to rebel the classical styles of literature, they strived for more imagination and emotions, they began to believe creativity was more powerful than logic and science and used these approaches in their writings (Schwartz). This is known as the Romanticism movement of the 1750’s and was carried on till the 1870’s (Schwartz). Irving was born into this literary movement and used the new ideas to his advantage.Washington Irving brought fictional writing to America by using elements from the world around him as a guide for his imagination in his stories.

The spark of Washington Irving's imaginative writings came from his home town, New York City (“Washington Irving”). His home town became the setting in the majority of his pieces of work, which caused a self reflection of himself in his writings. His first book published in 1809 was known as “A History of New-York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty” (Black). This piece had challenged the new America because he had sarcastically glorified the english colonists who had claimed to discover New York (Black). Irvings true purpose was exploited later in the chapter where he tells the true history and how the English colonists did not discover the land of New York, but had taken it from the Native Americ...

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...ok. N.p.: Diedrich Knickbocker, 1907. N. pag. Web. 16 May 2014. .

Schwartz, Robert. "The Romantic Era." History 255 Presents. N.p., 10 May 1999. Web. 15 May 2014. .

W.A.N. "Biographical Note. Irving, Washington. 1917. Rip Van Winkle & The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Vol. X, Part 2. Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction." Biographical Note. Irving, Washington. 1917. Rip Van Winkle & The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Vol. X, Part 2. Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction. The Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction. 1917., 1993. Web. 15 May 2014.http://www.bartleby.com/310/2/1000.html

"Washington Irving Biogrpahy." Sweet Search. Dulcinea Media, Inc., May-June 2014. Web. 21 May 2014. .

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