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Washington Irving (1809) by
John W. Jarvis (1780-1804).
Oil on wood panel (33" x 26").
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American Literature's First Voice
Washington Irving was born in 1783, to a hardware importer
and his wife. Irving is best known for his knack at creating comic fictional narrators such as Jonathan Oldstyle Gent.,
Diedrich Knickerbocker, and Geoffery Crayon. Jonathan Oldstyle's character was one of a stuffy British writer who could
not accept the simple values of the new nation. Knickerbocker was an historian who wrote at length on the Dutch History in
New England, taking great pains to travel about and collect fables and tales from Dutch immigrants and decendents. Geoffery
Crayon was the fictional author of The Sketch Book, a collection of German folk tales (1819-1820). Irving would
not put his own name to his works until he was over 50 years old.
Irving practiced law for a short time (and with much disdain), and was
sent in 1815, to work at salvaging a branch of his fathers business in Liverpool. While in Brittain Irving studied much
of Sir Walter Scott's Romantic works and that of German Romantics. Soon after this trip Irving decided that he was now
ready to take on his desire for writing, making it his business and way of life. In 1817, Irving wrote his first drafts
based on German folk tales (The Sketch Book). It is true that Irving took much of his literary style from that
of the British, but his characters were much more comic and could even be considered quite inconsistant with the British in
voice and manner. Americans greatly respected Irving for his literature and style, the American Style. He enjoyed
much fame and accreditation.
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