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Definition: Irving, Washington from Philip's Encyclopedia

US essayist and short-story writer. He wrote the burlesque History of New York (1809) under the pseudonym Dietrich Knickerbocker. He is most famous for the stories Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, which were written during his 17 years in Europe. He returned to the USA in 1832, where his continuing literary output included Astoria (1836).

Irving, Washington

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
1783–1859, American author and diplomat, b. New York City. Irving was one of the first Americans to be recognized abroad as a man of letters, and he was a literary idol at home. While he studied law, Irving amused himself by writing for periodicals such essays on New York society and the theater as the Letters of Jonathan Oldstyle, Gent. (1802–3). From 1804 to 1806 his older brothers financed his tour of France and Italy. On his return he joined William Irving and J. K. Paulding in publishing Salmagundi; or, The Whim-Whams and Opinions of Launcelot Langstaff & Others (1807–8), a series of humorous and satirical essays. Under the pseudonym Diedrich Knickerbocker, he published A History of New York (1809), a satire that has been called the first great book of comic literature written by an American. Purporting to be a scholarly account of the Dutch occupation of the New World, the book is a burlesque of history books as well as a satire of politics in his own time. Irving went to…
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Full text Article Irving, Washington

From Continuum Encyclopedia of American Literature
I. is best described as the first successful professional man of letters in the U.S. This had to mean a risky commitment to a life of the creative imagination, not just an amateur's happenstance endeavors. It also had to mean winning genuine appreciation overseas for London as the literary capital…
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Full text Article Irving, Washington

From The Great American History Fact-Finder
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Full text Article IRVING, WASHINGTON (1783-1859)

From The Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of the American Enlightenment
Historian, essayist, and diplomat, Washington Irving was America's first professional man of letters. He ultimately attained an international reputation, but his path there was rocky, and his family often urged him toward other professions including the law, their import business, and public office. …
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Full text Article IRVING, WASHINGTON 1783-1859

From Encyclopedia of the Romantic Era, 1760-1850
It is widely accepted that Washington Irving was the first professional American writer. Irving was named after George Washington and he grew up with the new nation. Although he was not as radical in forging an American literary identity as later Romantics such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt…
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Full text Article Irving, Washington (1783–1859)

From The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales
American author of essays, travel books, biographies, and true and legendary histories. His first notable success, A History of New York (1809), supposedly written by the fictitious Diedrich Knickerbocker, created a legendary history for his native city while satirizing both its early Dutch…
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Full text Article IRVING, Washington (1783–1859)

From The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature
Born in New York City, Irving had already established a reputation as an author when he wrote his Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent . (1819–20), a miscellany published in parts and consisting of sketches of British life, together with various European folk tales retold with American settings. …
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US essayist. Under the pseudonym ‘Geoffrey Crayon’ he wrote The Sketch Book (1819-20) which included ‘Rip Van Winkle’ and ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’. Several collections are devoted to his European travels, including Tales of a Traveller (1824). He was US Ambassador to Spain (1842-6). What is…
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Full text Article Washington Irving (1783-1859) (engraving)

From Bridgeman Images: Ken Welsh History Collection
Washington Irving (1783-1859) (engraving)
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Full text Article Washington Irving (1783-1859) (engraving)

From Bridgeman Images: Ken Welsh History Collection
Washington Irving (1783-1859) (engraving)
| 45 words , 1 image
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Full text Article Washington Irving (1783-1859) (engraving)

From Bridgeman Images: Ken Welsh History Collection
Washington Irving (1783-1859) (engraving)
| 46 words , 1 image
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