Washington-Irving剖析

WASHINGTONIRVINGJunsongChenPh.D.DepartmentofEnglishEastChinaNormalUniversityEmail:[e-mail](1783-1859)WashingtonIrving(1783-1859)lastof11childrenlivedfromendofRevolutionaryWartojustbeforetheCivilWar1809:publishedparodyHistoryofNewYork,underthepseudonymDietrichKnickerbocker;becamecelebrity1815:departedforEurope;awayfor17years.1819:TheSketchBook,including“RipVanWinkle”and“TheLegendofSleepyHollow,”bothbasedonGermanfolktales.WashingtonIrving(1783-1859)firstAmericanwritertobeagreatsuccessinEngland1828:TheLifeandVoyagesofChristopherColumbus,researchinSpain1829-32:diplomatinLondon1832-42:returnstoU.S.,buildshomeSunnysideonHudsonRiver,NewYork1842-46:ministertoSpain1851-59:5vol.lifeofGeorgeWashingtonAsahistorian,biographer,essayist,writerandpolitician,heisoftenreferredtoasTheFatherofAmericanLiteratureorTheFatherofAmericanLetters.AchievementsasaStylist1.IrvingisthefirstbelletristinAmericanliterature,writingforpleasureatatimewhenwritingwaspracticalandforusefulpurposes.2.HeisthefirstAmericanliteraryhumorist.3.Hehaswrittenthefirstmodernshortstories.4.Heisthefirsttowritehistoryandbiographyasentertainment.5.Heintroducedthenonfictionproseasaliterarygenre.6.HisuseofthegothiclooksforwardtoPoe.SunnysideHudsonRiverfromSunnyside“TheLegendofSleepyHollow”“TheLegendofSleepyHollow”BriefIntroductionThegreatAmericanshortstory‘‘TheLegendofSleepyHollow’’waswrittenwhileWashingtonIrvingwaslivinginEngland,anditwaspublishedinEnglandinavolumecalledTheSketchBookofGeoffreyCrayon,Gent.TheSketchBookwaspublishedininstallmentsintheUnitedStatesbeginningin1819,butthesectionthatincludedthisstorywasnotissueduntil1820.ReadersonbothsidesoftheAtlanticOceanthusencounteredthestoryatapproximatelythesametime.“TheLegendoftheSleepyHollow”Summary''TheLegendofSleepyHollow''takesplaceinSleepyHollow,NewYork,aruralvalleynearTarrytownintheCatskillMountains.ConstructedfromGermantalesbutsetinAmerica,itisaclassictaleoftheconflictbetweencityandcountry,andbetweenbrainsandbrawn.ThomasCole,ViewoftheRound-TopintheCatskillMountains(1827)ThomasCole,SunsetintheCatskills(1841)“TheLegendoftheSleepyHollow”SummaryIchabodCranecourtsKatrinaVanTassel,butisfrightenedawaybyhisrival,BromBones,masqueradingastheheadlesshorseman.ThestorydemonstratesthetwoqualitiesforwhichIrvingisbestknown:hishumor,andhisabilitytocreatevividdescriptiveimagery.NarrationThestoryopenswithalongdescriptivepassageofferedinthefirstpersonbythenarrator,whoisrevealedattheendofthestorytobeamaninatavernwhotoldthestoryto‘‘D.K.’’Irving'scontemporaries,andreadersoftheentireSketchBook,knowthat''D.K.isDiedrichKnickerbocker,thefictionalauthorofanearlierbookofIrving's.Thenarratordescribesthestory'ssetting,creatingimagesofaquaint,cozyDutchvillage,''oneofthequietestplacesinthewholeworld,’’ina‘‘remoteperiodofAmericanhistory''thatseemedlongagoeventoIrving'soriginalreaders.Thevillageisnotjustfarawayandlongago;itisamagicalplace,‘‘undertheswayofsomewitchingpower,thatholdsaspelloverthemindsofthegoodpeople,causingthemtowalkinacontinualreverie.’’“TheLegendoftheSleepyHollow”SummaryTheSketchBookbecamewildlypopularandwidelyreviewedbothintheUnitedStatesandinEngland.ItwasthefirstbookbyanAmericanwritertobecomepopularoutsidetheUnitedStates,andhelpedestablishAmericanwritingasaseriousandrespectableliterature.In1864,‘‘TheLegendofSleepyHollow''waspublishedasaseparateillustratedvolumeforthefirsttime,andtherehavebeendozensofeditionssince.Today,mostofIrving'sworkhasbeenlargelyforgotten,butthecharactersofIchabodCraneandtheHeadlessHorsemanhavelivedonaspartofAmericanfolklore.AnalysisConsideredthefirstprofessionalmanoflettersintheUnitedStatesandthefirstAmericanauthortowinrecognitionabroad,Irvingisnotedforhiscontributiontotheshortstorygenre.Inhismostacclaimedachievement,TheSketchBookofGeoffreyCrayon,Gent.(1819–20),hecreatedcharmingsketches,tales,andtravelreminiscences.Widelyreadinitstime,thebookisrememberedfortheshortstories“RipVanWinkle”and“TheLegendofSleepyHollow.”AnalysisInthelatterofthesetales—whichdetailstherun-inofaConnecticutschoolmaster,IchabodCrane,withaheadlesshorseman—Irvingwoveelementsofmyth,legend,folklore,anddramaintoanarrativethatachievedalmostimmediateclassicstatus.Criticsgenerallyagreethat“TheLegendofSleepyHollow”providedamodelforthemodernshortstoryandintroducedimageryandarchetypesthatenrichednationalliterature.AnalysisWhileIrving'sotherhistoricalwritingsarevaluedfortheirgracefulprosestyleandhistoricalinterest,criticsgenerallyagreethat“TheLegendofSleepyHollow”is—alongwith“RipVanWinkle”—hismostlastingartisticachievement.Character“TheLegendofSleepyHollow”openswithadescriptionoftheDutchNewYorkcommunityofSleepyHollow,locatedinaruralvalleyneartheHudsonRiver.Irvingintroducesthetall,lankyschoolmasterIchabodCraneasafigureofmildtemperament,aYankeefromConnecticutwhotakeshimselftooseriouslyandpossessesanenormousappetitedespitehisslightbuild.CharacterProudofhiserudition,atleastincomparisontotherusticsheencountersinSleepyHollow,Craneisdescribedas“anoddmixtureofsmallshrewdnessandsimplecreduli