Washington Irving

 From Irving, Mark Twain learned how to use realistic details of rural life in America.  Influenced Herman Melville, Kate Chopin and Willa Cather.  For the first time, stories were set on American soil.  Dealt with rapid change  “…ordinary people who have their daily lives to worry about.”

Published in 1819 and is set in the Catskill Mountains in New York before and after the American Revolution. The main character falls asleep for twenty years due to the effects of a brew he drank. When he wakes up he views a changed village.

A man who sells his soul to the devil for material benefit.

 A revolt against the rigidity of neoclassical and strict Puritan revival  Literature emphasized the creative and imaginative over logical  Irving provided the “driving force” to the transition  “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” are the earliest American works of fiction to still be read widely today.

 Described Nature’s beauty  Utilized gothic imagery  And believed that man was inherently good  Utilized the supernatural (suspension of disbelief)  Added information – page 234

 A story handed down from the past, which lacks accurate historical evidence but has been, and may still be, popularly accepted as true.

 Setting  Character  Plot  Point of View  Theme Use your “Reading Fiction” sheet for reference - QUIZ on terms Thursday, January 13, 2011

 Major character at the center of the story  A character or force that opposes the protagonist  Often provides support and illuminates the protagonist  A character who remains the same  A character who changes in some important way  The means by which writers reveal character  Narrator gives facts and interpretive comment  Narrator gives description; reader makes the judgment

 An author’s introduction to the characters, setting, and situation at the beginning of the story  A suggestion of what is going to happen  Struggle between opposing forces  The part of the plot that adds complication to the plot’s problems and increases reader interest (rising action)  The point of greatest emotional intensity, interest, or suspense in the story (climax)  A sense of worry established by the author  The action that follows the climax  The part of the plot that concludes the falling action by revealing or suggesting the outcome of the conflict

 Exposition  Rising Action - the part that adds complication to the plot’s problems and increases reader’s interest.  Suspense and foreshadowing  Conflict (external or internal)  Climax (crisis)  Falling Action - action that follows the climax  Resolution

 Man vs. Man (physical) - the protagonist struggles with his physical strength against other men, forces of nature or animals.  Man vs. Circumstances (classical) - the protagonist struggles against fate or the circumstances of life facing him/her  Man vs. Society (social) - the protagonist struggles against ideas, practices, or customs of other people.  Man vs. Himself/Herself (psychological) - the protagonist struggles with himself/herself; with his/her own soul, ideas of right or wrong, physical limitations, choices, etc.

 The place or location of the action; provides historical and cultural context; can symbolize the emotional state of characters; includes time, weather conditions, social conditions, mood or atmosphere.  Verbal identity of a writer based on his or her use of diction and/or syntax.  Reveals tone or attitude toward subject matter.

 Sleepy Hollow – the lower Hudson Valley area near Tarrytown, N.Y  Hudson River  Dutch and German Settlers  18th c. (1790 to be exact)  Post Revolutionary War  Why is this important?  People don’t change a lot in this remote city.

 Ichabod Crane  Gunpowder  Katrina Van Tassel  Mynheer Van Tassel  The Headless Horseman - some say a Hessian - troop from Hess in Germany who fought against the colonists. The ghost of a soldier who lost his head to a cannon-ball during “some nameless battle” of the American Revolutionary War and who “rides forth to the scene of the battle in nightly quest of his head.”  Abraham Van Brunt (Brom Bones)

 How does Irving characterize Sleepy Hollow?  Why is it bewitched?  To what does Irving compare the inhabitants of the region?  What was Crane’s teachings methods and how did he live?  What did he like to read?  P. 17 – What phrase exemplifies parallel structure?

 Denote where there is suspense  Denote the rising action, climax and resolution  Look for style - HINT! Alliteration and repetition  Describe the language Irving uses to mix humor with horror

 How does Ichabod react after the party? What mood is he in?  Can you find examples of alliteration and assonance from pages and 58, 60-61?  To what might this contribute?

 What part in the plot builds suspense?  Pp  How does Irving build suspense?  Imagery  Word choice  alliteration

 When does the inciting or initial incident occur?  Invitation to the Van Tassel’s  When does the climax occur?  P. 63 the hit on the head with the “pumpkin”  When does the falling action occur?  Pp the events that describe what was found by the brook – what was found?  When does the denouement occur?  Pp , but in this case the resolution is left to the reader. What does the man who thinks he saw Ichabod say he became?

 How does Irving make fun of the American Revolution and the inhabitants of the town?  Pp.46 – 48  Story of a man nearly sinking a boat  Story of a man evading a bullet with a sword  A man thought he was responsible for the happy outcome of the war.

 Language and style p. 53  Dignified; repetition; exclamation; rhetorical question  Alliteration pp ; p.60; p.62; pp.63-64

 Think of a time when you made a decision that you had regretted. Describe the decision and its circumstances. Why did you regret the decision? What did you do to cope with the regret?

 If you read and understood the two stories you will do fine on the multiple choice test.  20 questions about “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and 15 about “The Devil and Tom Walker”  Let’s review

 Based on Faust legend - “a tale about a man who sells his soul to the Devil for earthly benefits.”  Omniscient narrator  Notice the traditional symbols that mark the stranger as the devil.  The early 18th c. was a time when many colonists were beginning to replace Puritanism with a philosophy of commercialism and capitalism.  The story is didactic – written to teach a moral

 What indicates that the swamp Tom encounters had been an Indian battleground?  Describe Tom and his wife's’ relationship.  What do you think happened to Tom’s wife?  What does Tom object to do in negotiations with “Old Scratch”?  How is Tom successful as a moneylender?

 In what ways is this tale distinctly American?  Look for symbols that denote the figure as the Devil.  How does Irving satirize the hypocrisy of Puritans who used prominence to amass wealth?

 Get into original groups  Review the story  Take turns reading and writing the components of the story on the back of the sheet as review for your test.

 Work on “Work #1 analysis” rough draft due by _____________________.  Short Story Adaptation will be due on _______________________– I will give you a rubric tomorrow and you will go to the library tomorrow and Thursday.