Post was not sent - check your email addresses! He began his literary career at the age of nineteen by writing newspaper articles under the pseudonym Jonathan Oldstyle. Author of ‘Rip Van Winkle’ (1819) and ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ (1820), Washington Irving (1783–1859) holds a great place in the canon of American short story writers.A leading author of early American gothic horror alongside Poe and Hawthorne, he was also a witty commentator and prominent literary figure in the New York public eye. Tarrytown, N.Y.: Sleepy Hollow Restorations, 1976. A third dimension enters when the reader recalls the personality of the frame’s Swiss tale-teller, occasionally interrupting himself with “a roguish leer and a sly joke for the buxom kitchen maid” and himself responsible (it is surely not the modest and proper Geoffrey Crayon or Washington Irving) for the suggestive antlers above the prospective bridegroom’s head at the feast. New York: Atheneum, 1979. The narrative perspectives informing Irving’s single greatest achievement, “Rip Van Winkle,” radiate even greater complexities. 10 Best Ghost Stories by Washington Irving (Other Than Sleepy Hollow) He was the greatest American writer of his time: mentor to Poe, Dickens, and Hawthorne, his country’s first professional author, and a writer of uniqely American ghost stories about growth, change, and identity. Washington Irving's 1820 tale of a headless horseman who terrorizes the real-life village of Sleepy Hollow is considered one of America's first ghost stories—and one of its scariest. Critical Essays on Washington Irving. Named after President George Washington (1732–1799), Irving was fascinated by the upper class of New York City and would often sneak out of … Publisher: Tacet Books 0 0 0 Summary He was the greatest American writer of his time: mentor to Poe, Dickens, and Hawthorne, his country's first professional author, and a writer of uniqely American ghost stories … He moved to England in 1815 and gained international acclaim with the success of The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. It was published serially throughout 1819 and 1820. Learn more about Irving’s life and writing career in this article. The inhabitants of Sleepy Hollow include Ichabod, the lovely Katrina and very possibly a headless ghost. He was one of the creators of the genre American Romantic. Washington Irving, writer called the ‘first American man of letters.’ He is best known for the short stories ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ and ‘Rip Van Winkle,’ which are both Americanized versions of German folktales. Piacentino, Ed. Born the same week of the ceasefire that ended the American Revolution, he was named after George Washington. Nonfiction: A History of New York, 1809; Biography of James Lawrence, 1813; A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus, 1828; A Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada, 1829; Voyages and Discoveries of the Companions of Columbus, 1831; A Tour of the Prairies, 1835; Astoria, 1836; The Adventures of Captain Bonneville, 1837; The Life of Oliver Goldsmith, 1849; The Life of George Washington, 1855-1859 (5 volumes). W ashington Irving, though he wrote extensively throughout his life, is remembered essentially for two short stories. Washington Irving : biography April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859 An uninterested student, Irving preferred adventure stories and drama and, by age fourteen, was regularly sneaking out of class in the evenings to attend the theater.Warner, 27; PMI, 1:36. Short stories by Washington Irving were included in the workshops. Upon entering the village, he discovers no one but strangers and all in strange dress; he finds his house has decayed, his wife and children have disappeared; buildings have changed as well as the political situation and even the very manner and behavior of the people. The silent stranger hears the garrulous Baron speak on, among other matters, his family’s longstanding feud with the Von Starkenfaust family; meanwhile the young man wins the daughter’s heart. Washington Irving (1783-1859) was an American author, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. Conti Washington Irving was buried in Sleepy Hollow has imported a tall, grotesquely lanky Yankee as schoolmaster Ichabod..., Ichabod Crane he inherited from the revised edition gained international acclaim with success... On his namesake, 2020 • ( 0 ) same week of pseudonym! 1800S from America `` the Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent single... 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