LITR 4232: American Renaissance

University of Houston-Clear Lake, spring 2002

Student Presentation Summary

17 January 2002

READER:                  Ronda C. Dunn

RECORDER:            Diana Ellis-Smith

PRESENTATION:

Washington Irving, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "RipVan Winkle"

Use of Visual Imagery

Pages:  2082

            2085

            2094

            2095

            2105

Discussion Questions:

What do the descriptions of the stories contribute to their meaning or effect? What does the story suggest about a human beings relationship with his or her culture, now and then?  

A striking characteristic of Washington Irving's writing is the preponderance of visual imagery.  A painter himself he often drew verbal pictures in his essays and stories, and the title of his most famous work makes a double reference to visual art: The Sketch Book of Geoffery Crayon.

His masterful use of personae, stylized prose and use of European legend all demonstrate the strong influence of the Old World on his work.

On page 2082, Irving describes the Kaatskill Mountains as "dismembered branches of the great Appalachian family…" and on page 2085 he describes the Hudson river, " moving on its silent but majestic course, with the reflection of a purple cloud, or the sail of a lagging bark…"

Page 2093, "The legend of Sleepy Hollow", Irving describes the Hudson shore," at that broad expansion of the river denominated by the ancient Dutch navigators the Tappan Zee, and where they always prudently shortened sail…"

Angie Rau pointed out that the mountains and weather in the mountains reflect the superstition of the times.

Brenda Upton commented that the descriptions make you "feel as if you were actually there."

Ronda C. Dunn mentioned the awakening of Rip references to or own awakening after the Sept. 11th tragedy.

    Diana Ellis-Smith said that the stories could have represented the image the British had of the Americans, that Dame Van Winkle represented the pushy, stronger American woman.

  Sheri O'Rourke pointed out on page 2105 the banquet scene and how Americans celebrate events with food. The same way that Americans celebrate today.

 The ability of Irving to use such descriptive language in his sketches is a key factor in the popularity of the stories today as it was when they were new, the gothic tales of suspense and the use of nature to romanticize the time is still used today. Irving proved that American writers were just as good as European writers and that they had a place in the world of literature.

 With the political revolution in America came a cultural  revolution as well.  Americans slowly began to build an independent cultural identity, which included a strong literary component. For the first time, America had enough writers who created works appreciated for their aesthetic value and who made a career or at least a serious avocation of literature.