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How Did Literature Impact Rip Van Winkle

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Does Rip Van winkle’s decision to go up the mountian to be free from his wife later affected him in the future? Rip Van Winkle, written by Washington Irving, was published in 1819 and was written around the time of the American Revolution. The american Revolution which took place from 1765 to 1783, was a revolt of thirteen colonies who wanted independence from Great Britain. They gained their independence and defeated England and became the United States. The American Revolution caused many changes in society, the culture, and literature, the people had to try new things like going from having a king to now having a president and living with things they had never experienced in their life before. The Literature during the Revolution usually was trying to get the citizens to join the revolution and fight for Independence. Washington Irving shows this concept of change in his book which shows how the main character, Rip Van Winkle, gets to see how life was before and after the American Revolution. Rip was a very lazy kind of stay at home husband, he did not enjoy working and preferred to live his life talking and having a good time sharing stories. Rip’s wife, Dame constantly reminded Rip of his laziness and dishonor he was bringing to the …show more content…

Wahington Irving had both long and short term impacts on Literature. Irving was known as “The father of American Literature”. “American Literature was actually greatly influenced by Irving, and many later American authors may not have existed without his effort.” Many people even say that they think Washington Irving 's works influenced Literature so much they believe that if his work had never existed and the potential authors of the past didn 't read his works that American Literature would have never existed. “Irving started out as being a not so outstanding student and became a lawyer. His true passion from the beginning was writing. Perhaps Edgar Allan Poe had been inspired by Irving 's Gothic short stories.”

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The colonies are now independent and free from British rule and King George III is now replaced by General George Washington. When Rip walks through the village and comes to the inn that he used to visit, he sees that the great tree and now replaced by a pole with a flag of King George III’s face . The red coat Rip’s reappearance in the village is one of confusion and surprise because the people he encounters are unfamiliar to him. he himself becomes under scrutiny by the new locals because of his odd appearance. The change in how people are dressed, the structures of homes, and the new language is unsettling for Rip who thinks that “both he and the world around him were bewitched” (960).

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The most iconic moment in our nation’s history is the American Revolution, when the thirteen colonies declared their independence from their patron country of Great Britain. Many great and brilliant people were involved with the development of the revolution, such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. But two individuals in their writings held much influence towards the beginning of the revolution. Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine were two prolific writers before, during and after the American Revolution. And while they both share similar ideologies and were very influential to the American Revolution, their approaches and their ends differ in more than just age.

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In the passage “Why Literature Matters” by Dana Gioia he supports his assertion, which is “the interest young Americans showed in the arts -- and especially literature -- actually diminished.” he uses statistics, direct quotes, and facts to back up her main assertion. The author is writing this piece to make the audience realize how greatly literature is diminishing and trying to scare us into being intrigued into the arts which will hopefully change our world for the better. One of the great ways Dana supports his opinion was by using exact quotes from a survey that was taken. That survey stated “ a population study designed and commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts, arts participation by Americans has declined for eight of

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“Rip Van Winkle” and the Emergence of an American Mythology. By Danise Bachman Rip van winkle in indeed a classic piece of American mythology. Washington Irving set this story in the past and filled it with exaggerated and sometimes, strange characters. It also features a mysterious and magical occurrence that put the main character to sleep for twenty years!

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Irving’s Character Alikeness Biographical and short story writer, Washington Irving is known for his works “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” However, he does have additional short stories. Between 1819 and 1820, Washington Irving published The Sketch Book, which was made up of approximately 30 short stories. Within those works were characters such as John Bull, Rip Van Winkle, Ichabod Crane, the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow, and several other unnamed characters. Now, the nameless characters in Washington Irving’s tales had just as deep impacts in their stories as named characters; from those deep impacts came about noticeable character resemblances between those characters.

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Throughout the story of Rip Van Winkle there is a theme of mutability. Mutability can be described as an "ability to change". In the story of Rip Van Winkle, Irving's main theme seems to be the mutability of both the individual American and American society itself. In the first part of the story Rip and those in his community are loyal to the King and the old world, when Rip returns following his long sleep, his community and their loyalties have changed. Those whom he associated with have also changed, throwing off their sedentary intellectual pursuits to become men of action in their new nation.

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In Rip Van Winkle, Irving uses the countryside and supernatural elements as an escape for Rip Van Winkle from the constant nagging of his wife and demand of labor, where he is finally happy and at peace. Does this reveal an insight into Irving’s character? II. As Rip wanders from his wife up the mountains with his dog, he eventually approaches a strange group of men playing nine-pins in a hollow.

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Rip’s own dog even scowled at him. This displeased him. When he went outside a man came up to him and asked who he was, Rip said he was Rip Van Winkle and that he loved the king. A woman then shoved through the crowd and took him home with her. Rip’s wife had died of a blood clot and some of his friends had fought in the war.

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Rip Van Winkle pursues a very seldom lifestyle with no pursuit and no ambition. He displays almost no willingness to change from his traditional ways after realizing the American colonies were independent from British Tyranny. He even still accepts the rule of King George III when he enters the town greeting the towns people with saying he is a loyal subject of the king. The reader can see his total disembodiment from the situation when the narrator says “instead of being a subject of his Majesty George the Third, he was now a free citizen of the United States. Rip, in fact, was no politician;

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1. Introduction This research paper deals with Washington Irving's most famous short story Rip Van Winkle, which tells the story of a man, who falls into a magical sleep during the English colonial time and wakes up twenty years later as a citizen of the United States of America. It will be looked into the characteristics that make Rip Van Winkle a Romantic piece of literature and how Washington Irving's intentions are reflected in his writing. 
Hereby Washington Irving’s life itself will be taken into consideration together with the Romantic period to demonstrate how these two domains are combined in Rip Van Winkle. 2.

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In novels focusing on parody of European attributes of romanticism Washington Irving created the unexampled masterpieces. “Rip Van Winkle” being one of the unexampled works of Washington Irving combines gentle and perfect humor. This story is Irving’s imaginative reworking of an old German tale in which his valuable parody professionally covered. In the story Washington Irving gave the national shade to the description of events and outlandish beings for America.

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