AMERICAN

LITERATURE
Emiliya Huseynova 405 A
 AMERICAN LITERATURE
Like other national literatures, American literature was shaped
by the history of the country that produced it. For almost a
century and a half, America was merely a group of colonies
scattered along the eastern seaboard of the North American
continent—colonies from which a few hardy souls tentatively
ventured westward. After a successful rebellion against the
motherland, America became the United States, a nation.
● By the end of the 19th century, too, it had taken its place
among the powers of the world—its fortunes so
interrelated with those of other nations that inevitably it
became involved in two world wars and, following these
conflicts, with the problems of Europe and East Asia
Meanwhile, the rise of science and industry, as well as
changes in ways of thinking, wrought many
modifications in people’s lives. All these factors in the
development of the US molded the literature of the
country.
 American Literature in the First
Half of the 19th Century

ROMANTICISM
The literary current of Romanticism appeared in America as the result of the
Bourgeois Revolution of 1776—1783. It was inspired also by the deep
disillusionment of the progressive people in the results of the revolution.
The contradictions between the rich and the poor were as strong as ever.
Negro slavery flourished in the Southern states, the Indian tribes were
exterminated. Romanticism brought with it the first important works of
American poetry and fiction, and the first foundations of American national
literature were laid. Romanticism in America differed in some ways from the
European Romanticism. European writers could at any moment look back on
the cultural heritage of their countries; Americans began everything,
including their literature from scratch.
The romantic poets and writers produced a
powerful literature with wide variations. They
developed such genres as the novel (historical,
social, fantastic), the romance and the short
story. They gave their readers a taste for old
ballads, epics, and the folk-tales of the Indians.
Nature is one of the major themes of the
American Romanticists. It was a time when new
lands were discovered. Courageous pioneers
and trappers penetrated into the wilderness of
the boundless forest and prairies. Man's
struggle with nature and his victory over it
inspired many of the American writers.
America with Fenimore Cooper
Romanticists
(1789— 1851). Romantic
poetry appeared in great
variety; most outstanding
were the poems of Edgar Allan
Poe (1809- 1849). The Late
Romanticism were the years of
mature Romanticism in
American literature.
Characteristic of this period
were Cooper's later novels,
Edgar Allan Poe's romances
and poems written during the
last eight years of his life, the
works of Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow (1807 -1882), and
 Washington
irving
the first American romantic
writer was born in New York in a
wealthy merchant's family.
Washington, the youngest of
eleven children, being sickly in
childhood, was not sent to
school. His English-born mother
had educated him at home. He
was well read in Chaucer and
Spenser, and the 18th century
English literature. He used to
read a lot. Books of voyages and
travels were his passion. He was
fond of legends, fairy-tales and
records of ancient and local
 Them
es
The Importance of Storytelling Nature versus Civilizatio
"Rip Van Winkle" is a story
Rip Van Winkle is a character
about storytelling, and there
who straddles the border
are several layers of
between nature and
storytelling presented in the
civilization. Rip lives in a village
text. In addition to Rip’s
surrounded by nature. Rip's
story itself, there’s a framing
actions in the story suggest
narrative that attributes the
that he prefers nature over
relaying of events to a
performing his expected duties
fictional storyteller, a
in town. Rip is more aligned
historian named Diedrich
with his dog than any human,
Knickerbocker who had heard
and most of his focus and
the story of Rip Van Winkle
energy is on hunting and
from Rip himself.
fishing. The story suggests that
Knickerbocker is a character
Rip is more like an animal than
that Irving uses as a
a human being.
narrative voice elsewhere in
"The Legend of Sleepy
Male Idleness versus Female
Work
One of the important distinctions drawn in the
story is that between the work done by women and
the idleness of men in the Van Winkles' village. The
narrator seems to take the side of the men in the
village, who are portrayed as lazy or perhaps
neglectful, but not as evil or malicious. While Rip is
the most egregious example of a man who can't be
bothered to attend to his family and community,
the men who gather at the inn are depicted as no
more attentive to their respective responsibilities.
Their gathering is a languorous excuse to
disappear from the expectations of their
community, not an intellectual exercise. The
narrator withholds judgment on this group of men.
 ANALYSIS OF MAIN IDEAS
Tyranny can be overcome in different ways.
One of the main preoccupations of the story is the act of overcoming tyrants, both
real and perceived. Whether the person in question is a king, an overbearing
ship's captain, or a wife, the characters in the story are trying to remove
themselves from what they believe to be that person’s tyranny. For instance, Rip
Van Winkle is working to overcome his wife’s many demands and the tyranny the
narrator believes she imposes. Rip does not fight back when his wife yells at him,
but he also does not do what she asks. He simply disappears and either wanders
away or helps others. The work gets done or it does not. Rip gets what he wants,
which is to be left alone.

Work is not a man's worth.

Throughout the story, Rip Van Winkle is not a man who considers his
responsibilities important, but the story does not consider this a blemish on Rip's
character. Instead of tending his farm or helping with chores, he would rather
wander or fish or help others.

History doesn’t necessarily reflect what happened.

Rip’s story is so fantastical and unlikely that it might be easily dismissed as
preposterous, not just by the villagers who clamor to hear his tale throughout the
years but by the reader as well. That being said, the question of whether Rip’s
 natured man, though inclined to avoid work. His
SUMMARY wife considers him a terrible husband, yet he is
beloved throughout the village. He does odd jobs
for others and plays games with the children. He is
attentive to everyone else's business but his own,
which frustrates his wife constantly. His small farm
is chaotic and poorly managed, and the soil
produces less and less yearly. The state of his
children reflects his general disinterest in taking
care of his own responsibilities, and his son looks to
be inheriting his father's traits. Rip’s idleness is
mirrored in both his dog, Wolf, and the company he
keeps at the village inn, where other men sit and
chat about the issues of the day without much
enthusiasm. The schoolmaster, Derrick Van
Bummel, reads whatever news comes their way
and the landlord of the inn, Nicholas Vedder, steers
opinion through his pipe smoke exhalations.
One evening, Rip rests in the wilderness after
squirrel hunting with his dog. He sees a stranger,
dressed in old-fashioned Dutch clothes, climbing
called nine-pins. They remind Rip of a painting of old
Flemish men belonging to the village parson. The sound
that Rip believed to be thunder turns out to be the
sound of the balls being rolled toward the pins. The
players stop playing at his approach and fill their cups
with liquor from the keg. They drink and return to their
game, even as Rip is awed and unnerved by their
appearance. Eventually, Rip tries the liquor and finds it
to his liking. After more than a few drinks, he falls
asleep.
Upon waking, Rip finds himself where he first saw the
man with the keg. He worries that he has slept there all
night and anticipates a scolding from his wife. He
notices that his well-loved gun is gone, and in its place
are the rusted, ruined pieces of what was once a rifle.
Unable to call his dog to him, he is determined to revisit
the scene of the previous evening's encounter. Stiff
Arriving back in his village, he notes that people are wearing
a different style of clothing than he is used to, and those who
acknowledge him all seem to stroke their chins. Stroking his
own, Rip finds a foot-long grey beard. As he moves through
the village, he finds it altered: bigger, more populated, full of
children he doesn't know and names he doesn't recognize
over doors and on businesses. He begins to fear that the
drink has confused him to the extent that he can't recognize
his own village or is somehow in a different village. Making
his way to his house, he finds it in ruins with a strange dog
skulking around that growls at him. The house is empty, and
it appears as though no one has lived there for quite some
time.
Hoping to find some remnant of familiarity, he goes to the
inn, but even that is altered. It is now The Union Hotel, with a
flagpole replacing the large tree that stood outside the inn he
frequented. The flag that flies atop the flagpole is an
American flag, and the portrait on the inn of King George has
been replaced with a portrait of George Washington. Instead
of the group of idle men lounging outside the door, there is a
bustling crowd, including one man talking loudly about
political concerns, of which Rip understands nothing.
Rip's strange appearance and unfamiliarity draw
attention from the crowd. As they inquire about which
side he voted for in the election, Rip has no idea what
anyone is talking about. One man, seeing Rip's old
rifle, accuses Rip of planning to stir up trouble. When
Rip, flustered, cries that he is just a simple man, an
inhabitant of the village, and loyal to the king, there is
an uproar that takes some time to settle down. When
Rip finally asks after his friends at the tavern, he is told
of their fates: two dead, one in congress. It is also
revealed that Nicholas Vedder has been dead for 18
years, indicating Rip has been gone for at least that
long. Dismayed, Rip asks if anyone knows Rip Van
Winkle. A few in the crowd point out a young man, and
as Rip considers him, he realizes that this young man
looks just like him at the age he fell asleep. Someone
asks what his name is, and he is at a loss, confused by
this twin version of himself, his age, and the changed
world around him.
At this, the crowd begins to believe that this old man has lost his wits, before a
young woman is heard shushing her baby, whose name is apparently Rip. When
asked her name and her father's name, it is revealed that she is Rip's daughter, and
she explains that he disappeared 20 years ago and hasn't been seen since. When
asked, she tells Rip that Dame Van Winkle recently died. Rip exclaims that he is her
father, and then looks around to ask if anyone remembers him. An elderly woman
recognizes him by name, and asks about his prolonged absence. As Rip tells his
story, the crowd is skeptical. The village, however, agrees to let Peter Vanderdonk
decide whether or not the story is reasonable. Vanderdonk is the oldest person in the
village and knows the history of the area as well as the folklore. He describes the
surrounding mountains as being inhabited by strange creatures. He also claims that
Hendrick (Henry) Hudson and his crew, legendary explorers of the area, come back
every 20 years to visit and make sure the land is still in good order. In fact,
Vanderdonk's father had once seen them, dressed in their old-fashioned clothing,
playing nine-pins. Vanderdonk himself says that he once heard the thundering of
their bowling balls one summer afternoon. This wise testimony seems to validate
Rip's story in the eyes of the townspeople.
Rip moves in with his daughter and her husband, whom Rip recognizes as one of
the children he used to play with in his youth. He resumes his idle ways, now old
enough to do so without criticism. He takes walks and sits outside the hotel, telling
stories about the time before the war and learning more about how the world has
changed in his absence. Soon, everyone in town knows the tale by heart.
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rip van
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