Washington Irving The first belletrist in American literature

Washington Irving

I. Brief biography Washington Irving, ( ) American author, short story writer, essayist, poet, travel book writer, biographer, and columnist, best known for the short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle".

Washington Irving 1 ． Life A. Born in a rich merchant family, the last of 11 children B. Liked traveling and reading C. Learned law but more interested in writing D. Went to England for family business E. Wrote to support himself after business failure F. Diplomatic work for a period

Washington Irving 2 ． Major works (1) A History of New York (1809) a. written under the name of D. K.; b. a popular and humorous handbook about the Dutch settlers; (2) Biographies of Goldsmith and Washington (3) The Sketch Book ( ) a. a collection of essays, sketches and tales; b. It marks the beginning of American romanticism; c. Satire is woven throughout the book; d. Two famous short stories in the collection: "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"

Washington Irving "Rip Van Winkle" 1) the story: Rip felt into sleep before the American Independence and woke after it and found the world completely changed. 2) the writer’s conservative attitudes (love of the old world's tradition, "an old gentleman speaking English not American”)

Washington Irving 3. Achievements 1) Irving is the first belletrist in American literature, writing for pleasure at a time when writing was practical and for useful purposes. 2) He is the first American literary humorist. 3) He has written the first modern short stories. The short story as a genre in American literature probably began with Irving's The Sketch Book.

Washington Irving 4) He is the first to write history and biography as entertainment. 5) He introduced the nonfiction prose as a literary genre. 6) His use of the gothic looks forward to Poe. 7) He was the first American writer of imaginative literature to gain international fame.

Washington Irving 4. Literary style (1)“The style is the man;” (2) neoclassical in form; (3) English style + German folktale + American life = Irving’s style;

II. The Author’s Account of Himself The whole piece of writing can be divided into two parts. Part I (paragraphs 1-3) The author describes his travels in America. Part II (paragraphs 4-6) The author describes his travels in Europe.

II. The Author’s Account of Himself →Part I Travels in America. Ever since he was a little child, he was fond of visiting new scenes, and observing strange characters and manners. His passion for books of voyages and travels strengthened with his years. He even neglected the regular exercises of the school as a student. He visited various parts of his own country. And he did not do that simply to enjoy the fine scenery although, according to him, America had got the most sublime and beautiful natural scenery in the world.

II. The Author’s Account of Himself →Part II (1) Travels in Europe. In the fourth paragraph the author makes a comparison between America and Europe. America had got the most sublime and beautiful natural scenery in the world. “But Europe held forth all the charms of storied and poetical association.” “ 〔 His 〕 native country was full of youthful promise; Europe was rich in the accumulated treasures of age.” He traveled to Europe for its long history and tradition of civilization, which his own country lacked. Actually most of the best known American writers traveled to and stayed in Europe for many years for the same reason.

II. The Author’s Account of Himself →Part II (2) In the fifth paragraph, he launches an attack on the self-important and arrogant Europeans, especially the English. Here in the paragraph you will be able to see his style of humor and satire. In the last paragraph, the author tells us how he wrote when traveling in Europe. He did not write about the most beautiful scenery or the most magnificent buildings or monuments. Instead he sketched in nooks, and corners, and by-places.

II. The Author’s Account of Himself →Summary In this account the author, apart from narrating his own passion for traveling, reading and thinking, presents his views of America and Europe and tells the reader how he wrote the Sketch Book.

III. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a short story by Washington Irving contained in his collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., written while he was living in Birmingham, England, and first published in With Irving's companion piece "Rip Van Winkle", "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is among the earliest American fiction still read widely today.

III. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow →Plot The story is set in the Dutch settlement of Tarry Town, New York, in a secluded glen called Sleepy Hollow. It tells the story of Ichabod Crane, a priggish schoolmaster from Connecticut, who competes with Abraham "Brom Bones" Van Brunt, a buff and tough man, for the hand of eighteen-year-old Katrina Van Tassel.

III. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow →Plot As Crane leaves a party, he is pursued by the Headless Horseman, supposedly the ghost of a Hessian trooper 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 battle in nightly quest of his head." Crane runs away from town, leaving Katrina with Brom Bones, who is implied to be the Headless Horseman.

III. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow →Inspiration The denouement of the fictional tale is set at the bridge in the real location of the Old Dutch Burying Ground in Sleepy Hollow. The characters of Ichabod Crane and Katrina Van Tassel may have been based on local residents known to the author. The character of Katrina is thought to have been based upon Eleanor Van Tassel Brush and her name comes from Eleanor's aunt Catriena Ecker Van Tessel.

III. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow →Inspiration "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" follows a tradition of folk tales and poems involving a supernatural wild chase, including Robert Burns's Tam O' Shanter (1790), and B ü rger ’ s Der wilde J ä ger, translated as The Wild Huntsman (1796).