William Irving Essays

  • The Devil and Tom Walker by William Irving

    1631 Words  | 4 Pages

    during the American Romanticism period, “The Devil and Tom Walker,” by William Irving, personifies the belief in the primacy of imagination. The period of Romanticism in America is often seen as the crucial period of American culture, as it was the central movement of the Renaissance period that moved into a more free-feeling and artistic approach to literature. American Gothic literature made its early appearance with William Irving, first with “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” in 1820, and carrying over

  • Water Method Man by John Irving

    1135 Words  | 3 Pages

    being straightened out as seen in The Water Method Man by John Irving. `From the very start of the novel, Fred Trumper's crooked urinary tract is mentioned. It is no coincidence that Fred's life is as mixed up as his urinary tract. His urinary problem, much like his lifestyle, only leads to more problems. "Seven times in the last five years I have suffered this unnamable disorder. Once it was the clap, but that's another story" (Irving 12). One problem only leads to another, but the real problem

  • Diedrich Knickerbocker

    1580 Words  | 4 Pages

    Knickerbocker Washington Irving created a pseudo historian for the purpose of bettering his own work and to entertain his readers. In 1809 Irving wrote "A History of New York" through a persona known as Diedrich Knickerbocker. This was Knickerbocker's first appearance in Irving's work, but it sure wouldn't be his last. Although he was not real, Knickerbocker was a historian that seemed to be in love with the people and landscape of the northeast, particularly New York. Even though Irving never revealed

  • Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle Shapes American Culture

    1577 Words  | 4 Pages

    my mind, and the times are so hard they sicken my soul," says Washington Irving in a letter to a friend (Letters 446). This statement reveals Irving's intense emotional condition, and in many ways indicates the intense social atmosphere as well as his personal conflicts, during the composition of The Sketch Book. Upon the bankruptcy of his family's fortune, of which he depended on solely for his monetary security, Irving found himself flung into the "galling mortifications of independence" (Letters

  • Romanticisam And Washington Irving

    1087 Words  | 3 Pages

    fact, the originals of the modern romantic stories were about the evil of human nature. The work of early American writers like Irving and Poe show the influence of European Romanticism. Irving would stress on nature, the supernatural, and superstitions in his stories. The supernatural, the emphasis of nature, and exotic locations were used in Poe's works. Washington Irving would use an emphasis on nature, the supernatural, and superstitions in his stories. His story "The Devil and Tom Walker" pictured

  • Why Is Washington Irving The Father Of Writing

    1154 Words  | 3 Pages

    Washington Irving Niklas Cathey per.4 Washington Irving was a famous writer during the early 1800s from America. He was known for his humorous writing style and ironic plots and story development. He was one of the creators of the genre American Romantic. Washington Irving is known as the father of American literature. Irving developed a sophisticated yet ironic style while helping establish the American respect in the writing community across Europe and the world. He was one of the first American

  • A Comparison Of Rip Van Winkle And The Sleepy Hollow

    987 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

  • Washington Irving

    673 Words  | 2 Pages

    Washington Irving Diedrich Knickerbocker; Geoffrey Crayon; Henry A. Buchanan; Jonathan Oldstyle. All were famous writers of the nineteenth century. All had one important thing in common-they are all one man-Washington Irving. Using these pen names, among many, Irving developed a legacy of utilizing European culture to cultivate American aspects of literature. Fred Lewis Pattee asserted, "American short story began in 1819 wit Washington Irving." (Gale Group 4) Irving is best known for

  • Why Is Washington Irving A Short Story

    1349 Words  | 3 Pages

    Twenty year naps, headless horsemen, and arranged marriages, what could be better? Washington Irving was an author of many short stories. His travels, westward expansion,and his short stories, made him a person many can not forget. Irving was very adventurous and traveled a lot. He was born April 3, 1783 (“Washington” Web), into a prosperous merchant family (Byers 141) to William Irving Sr. and Sarah Irving (“Washington” Web). He was born and raised in New York City, New York (Byers 141) and was

  • The Life and Literary Achievements of Bram Stoker

    1633 Words  | 4 Pages

    mother told him as a little boy. Many of his writings have been published but by far Dracula is his best-known story. Through Dracula, Stoker becomes a well-known author and inspired others to write similarly. Works Cited Dalby, Richard and William Hughes. Bram Stoker: A Bibliography. Great Britain: Desert Island Book Limited, 2004. Dorn, Jennifer. “The Literary World of Bram Stoker”. London to Aberdeen and Everywhere in Between, 2009. J,S. “Dracula”. ProQuest LLC, 1996-2009. http://lion

  • Rip Van Winkle

    2536 Words  | 6 Pages

    protagonist of the short story is in fact, Rip Van Winkle. Rip shows he is a flat character during the story. "I have observed that he was a simple goodnatured man..." (Irving 155). This proves to the reader that Rip is always nice to everyone in the small village that he lives in. "Rip now resumed his old walks and habits..." (Irving 165). This says that even after being asleep for twenty years he can still come back and resume his life and be even happier than he was before. These quotes prove that

  • Washington Irving's The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow

    2324 Words  | 5 Pages

    The short stories of Washington Irving are examples of the literary movement of Romanticism and its characteristics which are evidenced in this author’s works. These characteristics are sometimes found in abundant qualities or limited amounts of his each of his short stories. However, no matter what short story Washington Irving wrote, the Age of Romanticism and its defining characteristics are found in each of his selections. So, too, do each of the author’s short stories present unique study about

  • Irvings American Progeny

    2793 Words  | 6 Pages

    Irvings American Progeny Washington Irving had the unique opportunity of helping a new nation forge its own identity. America, fresh out of the revolution, looked for an author to take charge and create something that seemed to be missing from the newly born nation. He took this responsibility seriously and made a mythology that founded an American literary tradition. He took bits and pieces from the Old World and incorporated them into the New in such a manner that what he wrote appeared original

  • Rip Van Winkle Analysis

    1881 Words  | 4 Pages

    California Irving had written Rip Van Winkle with the America citizens in mind. At now community was changing significantly. America was trying to go through difficult with developing their own identification. America was seeking to have an identification that would set them totally exempt from English lifestyle and concept. Irving uses his main character, Rip Van Winkle, to indicate America. Rip goes through the same challenges that America was going through presently before and after the Trend

  • Literary Analysis Of Thanatopsis, By William Cullen Bryant

    1392 Words  | 3 Pages

    1. Geoffrey Crayon is a name used by Washington Irving in most publications of the essays, tales, and sketches in the “Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon”, and included stories by Diedrich Knickerbocker that were all made up. The sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon were stories Washington Irving put together in 1820, and the sketchbook became the first national American book that became successful. 4. Sojourner Truth was a slave in New York to a Dutch family whose name meant traveler for truth. Frances D.

  • Reflection of American History in Rip Van Winkle

    1068 Words  | 3 Pages

    Washington Irving expertly reflects American history in his piece of 1819 “Rip Van Winkle.” Unbeknownst to Rip Van Winkle, the colonies are now free of British rule as Irving writes, “Here a general shout burst from the bystanders—‘A Tory! a Tory! a spy! A refugee! hustle him! Away with him’” (Matthews, 2007, para. 36). Rip enters the village armed, ignorant of the fact that he presents the look of a loyalist. The question of being a refugee prevails over accusations of being a Tory, as a colonist

  • Rip Van Winkle and Romanticism

    1453 Words  | 3 Pages

    Romanticism. Rip Van Winkle is a story written by Washington Irving.  This was a story mainly about a lazy man who did not want to do any type of work, at home or at work. He was said to be useless on his farm, his land and property falling to pieces.  Irving says, “The great error in Rip’s composition was an insuperable aversion to all kinds of profitable labor”(p. 156 1st paragraph), which was just one of Irving’s many uses of inflated language.  Madame Van Winkle would

  • Biography of Irving Berlin

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    published was called “Marie From Sunny Italy” (biography.com). He wrote it in 1907 with Nick Nicholson writing the music. Baline’s name was misspelled on the sheet music as “I. Berlin” (biography.com). He decided to keep it and changed his name to Irving Berlin (biography.com) . It was in this way that the legend was born. Not very long after changing his name Berlin became the co-owner of his own publishing firm (Kenrick 143). He decided to try composing his own music despite the fact that he couldn’t

  • The Reputation of Christopher Columbus

    2358 Words  | 5 Pages

    Journal, Oct. 11, 1991 B1- B2. 2. Dillon, Sam, "Schools Growing Harsher in Scrutiny of Columbus", New York Times, Oct 12, 1992. 3. Krauthhammer, Charles, "Hail Columbus, Dead White Male" Time, May 27, 1991. 4. Phillips, Carla Rahn and William D. "The Textbook Columbus: Examining the Myth" Humanities, Sept/Oct. 1991 27-30. 5. Roy, Joaquim, " Isabella of Castille: Reflections of a Queen." Five Hundred, May/June, 1989. 6. Wilford, John Noble, "Discovering Columbus", New York Times

  • Romanticism, Realism, and Reason: Their Influence on American Literature

    1049 Words  | 3 Pages

    This is shown as Prince Prospero, a greedy and self-centered man, who tries to escape death, ironically dies as he enters the seventh room. Another element that is often found in romantic literature is the literary device, symbolism. Washington Irving, the author of the romantic folktale, “The Devil and Tom Walker”, uses symbolism to develop the plot and setting of his story. In this story, the setting is a dark and gloomy swamp with trees that symbolize lives that were once given to the devil