Does Washington Irving style and tone relate to “Rip Van Winkle”?
Washington Irving
Who is Washington Irving? Washington Irving is an author and editor of short stories. He also served as the United States ambassador to Spain and helped to promote international copyright before his death. On April 3, 1783, Washington Irving was born in New York. Washington Irving was one of eleven children. His parent’s names were William Irving Sr. and Sarah. They were both Scottish-English immigrant. Washington Irving was named after George Washington because the Americans looked at George Washington as an American hero of the American Revolution. Washington Irving was privately educated. He basically educated himself. Washington Irving liked to study law and write essays. After Irving moved back to New York from France and Italy, he began to practice law. Washington Irving was an average student. In 1807 Washington Irving and his brother, James Kirke Paulding, wrote the Salamagundi paper. The Salamagundi was a collection of funny essays. Irving wrote an essay called “A History of New York” but he didn’t use his regular name on the essay. Washington Irving went by Diedrich Knickerbocker. These are the first steps that Washington Irving made to become an amazing short story writer of stories like “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle”.
http://www.biography.com/people/washington-irving-9350087
What style of writing does Washington Irving use in his short stories? After reading “Rip Van Winkle”, I noticed two things about his writing style. Those two things are the way he use symbolism and imagery. The online Google dictionary says symbolism is, “The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities”. Symbolism is another form of representations. Washington Irving uses symbolism because he wants to show his readers the problems he has with the world in a d different way. Imagery also plays a big part in his short stories. The online Merriam-Webster dictionary says imagery is, “The product of images: the art of making images”. Using imagery while reading is like using the imagination. Washington Irving uses imagery so his readers can see what Irving is visualizing with his words. Imagery and symbolism are the two main things that make Washington Irving’s writing styles so good and unique. You can see symbolism and imagery in the story “Rip Van Winkle”.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imagery
Rip Van Winkle
How is Irving’s tone and style of writing directly related to his experiences? Where in the text is this best demonstrated? Irving’s uses of imagery relates to what he saw in real life. When Irving was younger, his parents made him move to Tarrytown, New York because there was a bad breakout of yellow fever in his hometown. This is where he first experienced the wonderful views of the Catskill Mountains. Irving describes the views of the Catskill Mountains in “Rip Van Winkle” he says, “every change of season, every change of weather , indeed, every hour of the day, produces some change in the magical hues and shapes of these mountains…. they are clothed in blue and purple and print their bold outlines on the clear evening sky.” This description helps the reader visualize the mountain in their own mind as they read. Irving tone relates to his sense of humor. Irving likes to joke a little because writer back then were serious about everything. That’s why Irving chose to write fictional short stories. In “Rip Van Winkle”, Irving uses stuffy language, sophisticated words, and irony to make fun of his characters. In the story Irving writes, “a termagant wife may, therefore, in some respect, be considered a tolerable blessing; and if so, Rip Van Winkle was thrice blessed”, this quote shows the tone of Irving’s sense of humor and sarcasm. I learned some of this information from watching the video below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vxZa36lGBU
http://www.storynory.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/rip-van-winkle.jpg
Washington Irving was an author and editor of short stories and essays. Irving was an average guy that likes to write about fictional stories. Irving’s writing style was unique for short stories. Irving used imagery and symbolism so the reader would continue to be engaged into his stories. Irving’s personal experiences and sense of humor relates to his writing and tone in “Rip Van Winkle”. It was very interesting to learn and research about Washington Irving. I think it is neat that people still talk about his work to this day.
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