Matway 1

Thesis: Irving was foundational in combining folklore and romanticism in his works, which is seen in The
Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Rip Van Winkle, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Subtopic 1: Romanticism in Rip Van Winkle

Citation: Fraustino, Daniel. "‘Rip Van Winkle’ and Eighteenth Century Social Psychology." Short Story
Criticism, edited by Lawrence J. Trudeau, vol. 197, Gale, 2014. Gale Literature Resource Center,
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/H1420117592/LitRC?u=pl3693&sid=LitRC&xid=ccefafc1. Accessed 2
Oct. 2020. Originally published in Journal of Evolutionary Psychology, vol. 9, no. 1-2, 1988, pp. 70-74.
1. Rip Van Winkle was used to criticize American Society after Revolution
2. Rip Van Winkle has conflicts between romanticism and classical writing
3. Spirituality in Nature is seen in mountains, sunshine, and etc.
4. Lots of supernatural sightings
5. Individuality with Rip wanting to be alone
6. Irving influenced by 18th century psychology
7. Independence a lot
8. Lots of imagination through imagery and etc.

Insert page break: see next page

Matway 2

Subtopic 2: Writings in The Sketch Book

Brevoort, Henry, Jr. "Review of The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent: Volume Two." Children's
Literature Review, edited by Tom Burns, vol. 97, Gale, 2004. Gale Literature Resource Center,
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/H1420058416/LitRC?u=pl3693&sid=LitRC&xid=9c3ecf5a. Accessed 2
Oct. 2020. Originally published in Critical Essays on Washington Irving, edited by Ralph M. Aderman,
G. K. Hall and Co., 1990, pp. 47-49.

9. Rural Life in England

10. Sensibilities of moral life, good imagery in rural England Life
11. The Broken Heart
12. The Art of Book-Making
13. Left to work on a wide range of subjects
14. Richness of Humor and pathos
15. The Voyage
Matway 3

Subtopic 3: Irving’s history

Pancost, David W. "Washington Irving." American Literary Critics and Scholars, 1800-1850, edited by
John Wilbert Rathbun and Monica M. Grecu, Gale, 1987. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 59. Gale
Literature Resource Center, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/H1200005539/LitRC?
u=pl3693&sid=LitRC&xid=92598bd0. Accessed 3 Oct. 2020.
16. Irving youngest of eleven only 8 survived infancy
17. His family was very driven getting prestigious jobs and getting married early
18. Very Satirical
19. Wrote many short stories under Pen names such as Geoffrey Crayon and Diedrich Knickerbocker
20. The Sketch Book established Irving as an accomplished writer
21. Lived in Spain
Insko, Jeffrey. "Diedrich Knickerbocker, regular bred historian." Early American Literature, vol. 43,
no. 3, 2008, p. 605+. Gale Literature Resource Center,
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A189957375/LitRC?u=pl3693&sid=LitRC&xid=bf721962. Accessed
3 Oct. 2020
22. Considered Pre-Romantic
23. Most of earlier writings written by pen name Diedrich Knickerbocker
24. Knickerbocker specialized in historical writings
25. And liked writing about the Dutch
26. Gained lots of ground for “serious histories”
27. George Washington and Christopher Columbus
28. Which allowed his works of sleepy hollow and RVW to succeed
Matway 4

Subtopic 4: Legend of Sleepy Hallow

von Frank, Albert J. "The Man That Corrupted Sleepy Hollow." Children's Literature Review, edited by
Tom Burns, vol. 97, Gale, 2004. Gale Literature Resource Center,
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/H1420058425/LitRC?u=pl3693&sid=LitRC&xid=de006d8a. Accessed 5
Oct. 2020. Originally published in Studies in American Fiction, vol. 15, no. 2, Autumn 1987, pp. 129-
141.
29. Ichabod Crane likes this girl but another is trying to kill him
30. Goes to party to see girl
31. She breaks up with him
32. He cries home but gets chased and “maybe killed by headless horseman
33. Romanticism seen in it is an old rural colony that has lots of history
34. Dutch again seen in the town
35. Perverse misdirected sexuality is shot at “typical yankee”
36. Ichabod isn’t a good guy he actually brought sin to the town
37. Headless horsemen reference to crane being in his own head
Hoffman, Daniel. "Washington Irving: Overview." Reference Guide to American Literature, edited by
Jim Kamp, 3rd ed., St. James Press, 1994. Gale Literature Resource Center,
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/H1420004250/LitRC?u=pl3693&sid=LitRC&xid=9ff2fc88. Accessed 5
Oct. 2020.
38. Irving makes fun of Yankee Stereotype with Crane
39. After this book, Matilda Hoffman died
40. This made Irving lose some of his nostalgia
41. Irving predicted the conflict between East and West and other types in US
42. Mocks typical Puritan
43. Satirical comedy
44. Brom Bones to resemble a sort of Davy Crocket
Matway 5

Subtopic 5: Romanticism
Jackson, Virginia. "American romanticism, again." Studies in Romanticism, vol. 55, no. 3, 2016, p. 319+.
Gale Literature Resource Center, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A474042050/LitRC?
u=pl3693&sid=LitRC&xid=d7ff601d. Accessed 5 Oct. 2020. – Good Source
45. It was never too complicated
46. Considered “low adjustment utopia”
47. Trying to make best out of common world
48. Euro Romanticism is emptier and a different period norm
49. However influential to US Romanticism
50. American has a darker tone
51. Variety of Popular genres in Romanticism sphere
52. Around 19th Century
53. Mostly white Anglo-Americans
54. American almost copies British
55. Trying to make history out of nothing
Rezek, Joseph. "Romanticism in the Atlantic world." Studies in Romanticism, vol. 55, no. 3, 2016, p.
307+. Gale Literature Resource Center, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A474042049/LitRC?
u=pl3693&sid=LitRC&xid=2aeb99b3. Accessed 5 Oct. 2020.

56. Irving is major author among Poe, Emerson, and Hawthorne

57. Often set rurally
58. Their writings instilled thought in peoples heads
59. Specifically about the English monarchy
60. Very influential