Washington Irving

How was Washington Irving’s work considered Romanticism?

Romanticism was a movement of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that marked the reaction in literature, philosophy, art, religion, and politics from the neoclassicism and formal belief of the preceding period. The Romantic Period was during the age of great westward expansion, of the increasing gravity of the slavery question, of an intensification of the spirit of embattled sectionalism in the South, and of a powerful impulse to reform in the North.

One of the first most famous Romanticism writers was Washington Irving. (http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/eng372/intro-h4.htm).Most romantic stories were about the evil of human nature during this time period. The work of Washington Irving showed the influence of European Romanticism. Irving would stress on nature, the supernatural, and superstitions in his stories. Irving began to write for purposes that would be associated with the American Romantic Movement, including the purposes of protesting materialism, development, and the fraudulent nature of American society. One of Irving's works The Legend of Sleepy Hollow demonstrates the power than superstition can have over people. Ichabod Crane was a very careful man who avoided walking under ladders, crossing black cats, or tipping over the salt shaker. When Ichabod heard the legend of sleepy hollow, he was so frightened even the simplest of noises scared him (http://www.123helpme.com/romanticisam-and-washington-irving-view.asp?id=157628). Another Washington Irving story that has examples of Romanticism throughout it is Rip Van Winkle. It begins with a detailed description of the Catskill Mountains,and how they are considered perfect barometers through the "magical hues and shapes" that they exhibit to indicate the weather.  Later, while climbing them, Rip sees the Hudson River moving on its "silent but majestic course, the reflection of a purple cloud, or the sail of a lagging bark, here and there sleeping on its glassy bosom, and at last losing itself in the blue highlands." 

This final description does not further the story by helping to set the scene because the river is quite distant. It is included to introduce a sense of communion with nature, which is something Irving felt was of supreme importance. Elements of Romanticism pervade all of Irving’s writings.  His love of nature, sense of wonder, and optimism all show through even in his early work. All these elements became more distinct as the freedom of expression. Ultimately, Irving’s work has come to be viewed as a symbol of the Romantic era (http://wolf.flatrock.org.nz/wolf_den/Opinions_Articles/american_romanticism.htm).

These are just two of Washington Irving stories that influenced the Romantic Period.