Washington Irving

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses three stories written by Washington Irving, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", "Guests from Gibbet Island" and "Rip Van Winkle". It explains how these works provide evidence of Irving's approach to literature. It claims that each of these selections is also a comment on the life of Irving in his time and the societies that existed throughout America and beyond. It explores how Irving experienced a significant amount of travel in his life, and used those experiences to create characters and places that were part of the reality of his existence.

From the Paper:

"Three stories written by Washington Irving, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", "Guests from Gibbet Island", and "Rip Van Winkle" provide evidence of Irving's approach to literature. Each of these selections is also a comment on the life of Irving in his time, and the societies that existed throughout America and beyond. Irving experienced a significant amount of travel in his life, and used those experiences to create characters and places that were part of the reality of his existence. This connection to the people and locales that Irving knew allowed an element of reality to exist within his stories, giving them a more significant strength upon reading. Furthermore, Irving utilized a literary tactic of personalizing these events that allowed the reader to believe in the world of the tales. These elements, corresponding with Irving's use of character names and words that were familiar to individual's of his time, worked in conjunction with one ..."

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