Washington Irving's Impact On American Culture

129 Words1 Pages
One of the 19th century American poet who had left a profound impact on American culture is Washington Irving. Irving’s (2016) portrayal of old-fashioned Christmas and imagery of Santa Claus in his five Christmas stories in ‘The Sketch Book’ has directly affected how Americans perceive and celebrate Christmas. This book contains a tangible sense of realism along with romanticism and traditionalism. His creation of St. Nicholas as a beloved character has formed a feature of Santa Claus which eventually embraced by the Christians. Irving’s heart-warming descriptions on Christmas is all about the old English customs, decorations, and foods. This culture was later adopted to America and being celebrated until today. Therefore, Irving is remembered