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 difficult Van Winkle finds fitting in to his new reality writing, “ There was, as usual, a crowd of folk about the door, but none that Rip recollected. The very character of the people seemed changed. There was a busy, bustling, disputatious tone about it, instead of the accustomed phlegm and drowsy tranquility.”  Also apparent in his works is not only this reflection of the American consciousness, but his infusion of enduring humor evident in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” detailing Ichabod’s steed writing, “The animal he bestrode was a broken-down plough-horse that had outlived almost everything but his viciousness. He was gaunt and shagged, with a ewe neck and a head like a hammer; his rusty mane and tail were tangled and knotted with burrs; one eye had lost its pupil and was glaring and spectral, but the other had the gleam of a genuine devil in it…Ichabod was a suitable figure for such a steed.” Throughout his engaging works of literature, Washington Irving is a master of using gothic and fantastical style scenes to reflect the American consciousness of the time period, all the while infusing enduring bouts of humor into his stories.  Often considered a transitional literary figure to American Romanticism, his work also contains vivid and desirable descriptions of nature and dark supernatural elements, both of which are present in the two short stories “Rip Van Winkle and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”

Through his engaging method of storytelling, Irving earned the title of the “first true American writer,” and his stories and tales live on long after his death.

Questions for further study and reflection

1. Washington Irving’s short stories “Rip Van Winkle,” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” have been retold countless times since Irving originally wrote them. What was your first experiences with these tales? Compare and contrast to the original text.
2. Irving is often considered a transitional figure to American Romanticism due to his portrayal of nature much like Transcendentalists, and his use of gothic elements similar to Dark Romantics.  If you could categorize his writing in a singular category what would it be and why? Use the texts to support your answer.
3. Irving often wrote under the guise of a pen name. Why do you think he chose to write in this manner?

Bibliography

Aragona, Jared. “Washington Irving Short Story Pioneer.” YouTube, YouTube, 2 June 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOc11sSQNrU&feature=youtu.be.

Biography.com, Editors. “Washington Irving.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 20 Oct. 2015, www.biography.com/people/washington-irving-9350087.

Text included with the permission of the author.

Portrait of Washington Irving: Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons.