1. Washington Irving

2. * 1783-1859 * First international literary celebrity of the U.S. * Humorist and satirist (satire: literature that mocks and scorns). * A native of New York, Irving humorously wrote of the history and landscape of that state. He set much of his best-loved and best-known fiction in the Catskill Mountains, the Hudson River Valley, or in the growing city of New York. * Inspired by German Romantics and folklore and legends.

3. * Travelled widely abroad; wrote much about his travels and experiences in England, Spain, and elsewhere in Europe. * He never wavered in his loyalty and love for the young United States. * Although popular in Europe, his fluid and expressive prose paid homage to the liberty and democracy that animated American society in the early 19th century.

4. * Genius for inventing fictional narrators (Diedrich Knickerbocker). * Up until this point, we had no real FICTION from America * Borrowed openly from European writing * New voice- the settings/sounds of America * “Rip Van Winkle” is actually a German tale, but Irving used American settings; the Catskill Mountains and Revolution to make it his.

5. The main character in a story by Washington Irving (1783-1859), who bowls, drinks with some elves and then falls asleep for 20 years. When he awakes, he is an old man with a long, gray beard and realizes that many changes have occurred, namely, his wife has died and the AMERICAN REVOLUTION has taken place. By association, a person who sleeps a long time; a person who is not up-to-date with the current situation. AMERICAN REVOLUTION

6. * Increased popularity of short story genre * Added local settings * Added humor * Added rich atmosphere and tone * Created independent genre * Stripped it of educational/religious nature * Fluid and beautiful writing style * Individual characters (not stereotypes)

7. * The American Revolution * Independence (both national and Rip’s personal independence) * Change * Aging * Importance of imagination

8. * Henpecked, but lovable, lazy vagabond. * Refuses to accept adult responsibility as a husband, father, and member of Sleepy Hollow. * Wife nags him for good reason – he allows his farm to go to ruin and he does little to provide for his large, growing family. * Kids and animals love his childish personality. * He is the adolescent who refuses to grow up and he gets away with it. * The American hero frontiersman; loved hunting in the woods with his dog to escape from his wife (the romantic journey).

9. * Characteristics of romantic literature in “Rip Van Winkle”: * Setting * misty “fairy” mountaintops * a mysterious forest * old-fashioned villages * days gone by from a distant era. * Rip as a romantic hero * Simple, good-natured, innocent, unsophisticated, close to nature, domesticated by his wife, possessed youthful qualities.

10. * “Rip Van Winkle” is important to the development of American literature. * This story, although modeled after British traditions, was uniquely American, featuring American settings (Catskill Mountains) and themes (American Revolution). * Irving was considered as a talented equal to British authors, not an inferior.