Pollard, Finn (2007) From beyond the grave and across the ocean: Washington Irving and the problem of being a questioning American, 1809-1820. American Nineteenth Century History . pp. 81-101. ISSN 1466-4658

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Abstract

Published in American Nineteenth Century History, this article is a reconsideration of Washington Irving's early career between the productions of his first two major works: A History of New York (1809) and The Sketch Book (1819-20). His life and writings in that period are treated as a study in the individual problem of being a 'questioning American,' specifically a questioning American writer, in the new republic, and as a broader critique of the developing new nation. Specifically it places those writings in dialogue with the dominant Jeffersonian narrative of a glorious national future. It thus rediscovers Irving as a critical alternative witness to this important period in American history and the entwined attempt to critique his country and to come to terms with it as the central, underappreciated theme both in neglected writings (his contributions to the Analectic Magazine (1812-15)) and familiar tales (Rip van Winkle, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow).

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Published in American Nineteenth Century History, this article is a reconsideration of Washington Irving's early career between the productions of his first two major works: A History of New York (1809) and The Sketch Book (1819-20). His life and writings in that period are treated as a study in the individual problem of being a 'questioning American,' specifically a questioning American writer, in the new republic, and as a broader critique of the developing new nation. Specifically it places those writings in dialogue with the dominant Jeffersonian narrative of a glorious national future. It thus rediscovers Irving as a critical alternative witness to this important period in American history and the entwined attempt to critique his country and to come to terms with it as the central, underappreciated theme both in neglected writings (his contributions to the Analectic Magazine (1812-15)) and familiar tales (Rip van Winkle, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow).
Keywords:	Washington Irving, The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon Gent., Rip van Winkle, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Analectic Magazine
Subjects:	V Historical and Philosophical studies > V230 American History T Eastern, Asiatic, African, American and Australasian Languages, Literature and related subjects > T720 American Literature studies
Divisions:	College of Arts > Faculty of Media, Humanities & Performance > Lincoln School of Humanities
Depositing User:	Finn Pollard
Date Deposited:	23 Feb 2011 21:55
Last Modified:	18 Jul 2011 16:38
URI:	http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/id/eprint/4089

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