Geoffrey of Monmouth

attempt to scare one another, saying that if someone is not careful, the Headless Horseman will come for them. However, many Americans do not realize that this legend originated from a story that appears in Washington Irving’s book, The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. Washington Irving was born to a Scottish immigrant family on April 3, 1783, in New York City. Later that year, The Treaty of Paris was signed,…

“Rip Van Winkle” was an iconic short story that was written by Washington Irving, in June, 1818. It was so well-known that almost every child in the United States has read it or heard about it once in their lifetime. Irving creates a simple-minded and easygoing character named Rip Van Winkle. He was cherished by the community, but his wife henpecks him day and night because of his carefree attitude. However, Irving’s illustration of Rip does not encompass the true reality of the “American Dream”…

While verse was economically marginal in the early nineteenth century, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) became the first American poet who could live off his royalties (Gioia 74). He was also the first poet of the New World to achieve an international fame; his reputation reached Europe and even Latin America (64). Devoted to the creation of a native literature, Longfellow committed himself to developing an American poetic diction. In “Our Native Writers” (1825), his graduation address,…

There are plenty of ways to pass time. If you’re taking the bus home after a long night at work and waiting for your stop to come, play a quick game on your phone or listen to music, maybe chat with someone sitting next to you. If you’re waiting in the long lines at Disneyland, take a minute to pay attention to accents and other languages that you might hear, or watch the faces of the people just getting off the ride. If you’re waiting for your nagging shrewish wife to finally stop pestering and…

Every one of us as kids loved reading myths such as Hercules or Perseus. However, did you know that there are some myths that originated right at home? Washington Irving’s story of Rip Van Winkle manages to merge several traits of a mythological story. The traits we will focus on include, setting the story in the past, filled with exaggerated characters, and features magical events with their consequences. How do these traits affect the story? And how do readers feel because of these traits?…

Bud, Not Buddy Modern Era Bud, Not Buddy, is read all over the country because of the Great Depression, but if it was written in today's times, that would not be the case. If this story was written in the modern era a lot of things would be different. Bud's mother wouldn't have died, Bud would've had more knowledge about Hooverville, and Bud would have been able to find Herman E. Calloway's exact location. I think the changes in this story would make it a lot more eventful. If this story was…

Phillis’ poems were usually about Christianity and slavery. “...Poems on various subjects, religious and moral…”-Bio.com. Washington was a short story author that was usually writing fictional stories with nonfictional characters. “...The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.”-Bio.com. Both authors had an interesting way of writing. Phillis was taught everything she knew from slave owners and that family, which she became a part of their family. So her writing was much different considering her…

John Irving was born March 2, 1942, in Exeter, New Hampshire, he was raised by his biological mother, and stepfather. Many events from Irving’s personal life have inspired books that he has written, such as, parent separations, feminism, sexual abuse, and sexual fantasies. Not only have plots been inspired by Irving’s personal life, but also the characters; which often follow Irving’s past experiences. At the age of 15, John Irving’s life was greatly affected after reading, Great Expectations.…

Rip Van Winkle as a Romantic Hero Rip Van Winkle is a short story written by Washington Irving which follows a lazy farmer named Rip, who enjoys helping everyone besides himself and his wife. Rip wanders off into the mountains one day and falls asleep, only to awaken after twenty years have passed. The author endows Rip with various characteristics that portray him as a Romantic Hero. Some of these qualities include being child-like and innocent, disliking women, and going on a journey in…

The development of America is captured in both factual and fictional stories. The characters in the “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” are specifically shaped to represent well-thought attributes of America. The author of sleepy hollow uses characters to expound on the development of young America. Washington Irving is reflected as the father of American short story. His inscription depicts the invention of the American myths that deal with ancestors, heroes, and mystical beings that are an essential…