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Washington Irving’s Literary Contributions
As one of America's most celebrated authors who is often called "the father of the American short story" (Washington Irving), Washington Irving's illustrious career spanned a multitude of literary classifications including poetry, essays, travel writing, biography, columns and short stories. His two most famous works – The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle firmly etched in literary history – Irving endeavored to capture a complementary combination of fiction, fantasy and reality (Rubin-Dorsky PG).
Born in New York City, Irving was the eleventh child of a wealthy merchant and his English wife. It was not long into his young life that books captivated him, and he was primarily intrigued with tales of fantastic voyages and other travel lore. He focused his studies upon the legal profession under the tutelage of Henry Masterton, Brockholst Livingston and John Ogde Hoffman; his career in law would not last long, however, inasmuch as the literary community was patiently awaiting his contributions. Europe beckoned between 1804 and 1806, where Irving made stops in Marseilles, Genoa and Sicily – an adventure that would introduce him to English naval officer Nelson Roman painter Washington Allston – forever altering his professional direction (Hedges PG). "There rise authors now and then, who seem proof against the mutability of language, because they have rooted themselves in the unchanging principles of human nature" Cool 2
(Irving PG).
Irving started his long literary journey in newspapers and journals, becoming a contributor to his brother's Morning Chronicle and publishing his own Salmagundi, later collaborating again with his brother and James Kirke Paulding. He also spent two years editing Analetic Magazine from 1812-1814. Indeed, his professional career was certainly taking shape; however, this continued success was made bittersweet by the death of his fiancee, Matilda...