John Irving

In an ever changing world, what is promised initially may not always go as planned when it is put to the test. John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany, tells the story of Johnny Wheelwright, a boy growing up in Gravesend, New Hampshire, struggling with identity and faith. But one cannot tell the story of Johnny Wheelwright without including Owen Meany, the tiny, dwarflike boy who is the only reason Johnny believes in God. Owen is a major spiritual character and his actions have direct correlations…

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.…

Bowden, Mary Weatherspoon. Washington Irving. Boston: Twayne, 1981. Bowden underlines the integrity of The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., in which “Rip Van Winkle” first performed, and proposes that Irving’s most highest literary accomplishment was his style. Though the book was not known, it include two of the most famous American short stories, one being “Rip Van Winkle” Mary Bowden received her Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Texas in Austin, Texas. She taught in…

authors wrote of emotion and feeling. Love is the most well-known and over-used emotion. During the Romantic period, many authors wrote of love, Washington Irving and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow are some examples. In this essay, I will compare and contrast the courtship relationships expressed in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving and The Courtship of Miles Standish by Henry Longfellow. Delving into how each man’s strategy succeeded or failed, and how the women responded. A broad…

have a dislike towards civilization, they must present and utilize the setting in an effective way. This is evident in the short story “Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving. The historical setting may also impact how and why an author presents information such as in “A Model of Christian Charity” written by John Winthrop. Washington…

Biography Bram Stoker, the man who would one day create one of the most recognized figures in literature, did not have a normal childhood. Stoker had been sick since his birth in 1847. His mysterious illness prevented him from walking and his mother Charlotte would have to carry him when he wanted to move. Most of the time Stoker lied in bed alone with his thoughts and all the sounds and sensations that came from the window in his room. Stoker’s only playmates were his siblings Thornley and…

folklore, emotion, horror, love, nature, individualism, the supernatural, or religion. I am hoping to compare and contrast the courtship strategies of Irving’s characters, Ichabod Crane and Brom Bones, with Longfellow’s characters Miles Standish and John Alden. My point is to explain why I believe one character’s strategy may have been more successful than the other and to compare these courtships to the Romantic era. Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is set in a…

was taught what she knew by her owners wife and two children. Phillis Wheatley, born May 8, 1753 in Senegal, West Africa, was brought into slavery at eight years old. She was in bad shape when she was purchased, and so she was used for a servant for John Wheatley’s wife, Mrs. Susanna Wheatley. Susanna took Phillis in, almost as her own child, and she and her two children started teaching Phillis how to read. This triggered an interest in Phillis. She soon became very involved with literacy.…

The American short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” was written while Washington Irving was living in England. Washington Irving wanted the film audience to capture a gothic tone that mirrors a slightly surreal place. Throughout the text, Irving describes Sleepy Hollow as, “Certain it is, the place still continues under the sway of some witching power, that holds a spell over the minds of the good people, causing them to walk in a continual reverie. They are given to all kinds of marvelous…

Ichabod is described by Irving as tall, superstitious, and greedy, he is also in love with one of his students, Katrina(). The producers of the movie transform Ichabod into an eccentric, excitable, and scientific constable from New York that is in Sleepy Hollow to investigate a…