Washington Irving: American Romanticism

1. Washington Irving:American Romanticism

2. Washington Irving1783-1859 • born in New York City (near present-day Wall St.) • youngest of 11 children • parents were Scottish-English immigrants

3. Biographical Information • his parents greatly admired General George Washington (hence his name) • his father became a wealthy merchant • he trained as a lawyer but practiced only briefly • showed literary promise early in his life

4. Home of Washington Irving, New York

5. Writing Career Begins • 1802-3 published a series of newspaper articles • 1807-8 published the Salmagundi papers • 1809 published 1st major work – A History of New York • it was supposedly written by Deidrich Knickerbocker, an old, eccentric historian

6. this work marked Irving’s future course • it was designed solely for entertainment • it taught no serious moral lessons • his fiancée died in 1809 • accounts for melancholic cast over rest of his life and work

7. Career Shifts to Europe in 1815 • sailed for England to take charge of family business in Liverpool • when it bankrupted, he concentrated on literary career • traveled throughout England, France, Spain, Germany, and Switzerland • wrote history of Christopher Columbus

8. Literary Career Continues • 1819 - 1820 published The Sketch-Book of Geoffrey Crayon, • it included “Rip Van Winkle”and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” Old Rip

9. Irving’s Literary Pseudonyms • Dietrich Knickerbocker • Jonathan Oldstyle • Geoffrey Crayon

10. Irving Widely Recognized • By the late 1820s, Irving had gained a reputation throughout Europe and America as a great writer and thinker

11. Returns to America in 1832 • returned from Europe to New York • established his home Sunnyside in Tarrytown • never married or had children • for next 25 years he shared Sunnyside with his brother Ebenezer and Ebenezer's 5 daughters

12. Sunnyside, Home of Irving

13. Irving on the Porch at Sunnyside

14. Additional Views of Sunnyside

15. First Genuine American Stories • “Rip Van Winkle” “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” • contained distinctive American settings and characters • incorporated German folktales and legends

16. Irving’s Grave On November 28, 1859, on the eve of the Civil War, Washington Irving died at Sunnyside surrounded by his family.

17. Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.  He was buried in the Sleepy Hollow Cemeteryat the Old Dutch Church

18. Works Cited All photos in this PowerPoint presentation came from the American Memory Collection of the Library of Congress Back to Beginning Home