Introduction to Washington Irving by David Campbell
Introduction to Washington Irving by David Campbell
Washington Irving (1783 – 1859)
By David Campbell
Washington Irving is perhaps known most notably and celebrated for his fictional and fantastical short stories, “Rip Van Winkle and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Through his engaging and often thrilling short stories, Washington Irving displays a type of literary nationalism in which the settings and characters are uniquely American, while depicting the lure and beauty of nature intertwined with supernatural and Gothic undertones, all the while containing bouts of humor mixed throughout. Through his engaging short stories, Washington Irving’s work reflects American consciousness in a unique way.
Washington Irving was born on April 3rd, 1783 in New York City and was the youngest of eleven children. Being born shortly after the American Revolution came to a close, Irving was named after the hero of the war and first president, George Washington. At the young age of nineteen, Irving began writing short satirical essays for a local newspaper under the guise and pen name of Jonathan Oldstyle. In the years 1804 to 1806, Irving traveled throughout Europe, and afterward returned to New York City to study and later practice law. Upon barely passing the bar exam, Irving realized his true passion was in his writing and began to pursue it professionally. It was around this time in his life that Irving wrote the “History of New-York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty, by Diedrich Knickerbocker,” a satirical history which then earned him the title of the first American Literary humorist. This work garnered him great success but as the war of 1812 commenced, Irving was made a colonel in New York’s militia. While in this position Irving wrote numerous sketches of naval heroes. Later in 1815, Irving returned to Europe where he wrote numerous short stories and works of literature that though are uniquely American, mirror German folktales, such as “Rip Van Winkle,” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” under the pen name of Geoffrey Crayon. These and other works were later collected and compiled as The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon Gent. Also, during this time Irving wrote histories such as A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus, and Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada. In 1832 upon returning to the United States, Irving began writing pieces with a western frontier style tone in titles such as Astoria, and The Adventures of Captain Bonneville. Towards the end of his life Irving mainly wrote biographical and historical works including his last great work, The Life of George Washington. Washington Irving died at his estate on November 28th, 1859.
In his two most recognized short stories, “Rip Van Winkle and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” Irving reflects the ideals of the American consciousness, such as Rip Van Winkle’s slumber representing America’s transition from a colony to a country, as Irving describes how difficul