The-Authors-Account-of-Himself

TheAuthor'sAccountofHimselfWashingtonIrvingAbouttheauthor•WashingtonIrving(1783-1859)•AnAmericanshortstorywriter,essayist,poet,travelbookwriter,historian,biographer,andcolumnist•WashingtonIrvingisregardedfatherofAmericanshortstory.•pseudonyms:DietrichKnickerbocker,JonathanOldstyle,GeoffreyCrayon•WashingtonIrvingwasborninNewYorkCityastheyoungestof11children.Hisfatherwasawealthymerchant,andhismother,anEnglishwoman,wasthegranddaughterofaclergyman.Accordingtoastory,GeorgeWashingtonmetIrving,namedafterhim,andgavehisblessing.IntheyearstocomeIrvingwouldwriteoneofhisgreatestworks,THELIFEOFGEORGEWASHINGTON(1855-59).•EarlyinhislifeIrvingdevelopedapassionforbooks.HereadRobinsonCrusoeandotherstoriesaboutvoyagesandtravels.Hestudiedlaw,butpracticedonlybriefly.Hewasapartnerwithhisbrothersinthefamilyhardwarebusiness.Laterthefamilybusinesswentbankrupt.•Irving'scareerasawriterstartedinjournalsandnewspapers.HecontributedtoMorningChronicle(1802-03),whichwaseditedbyhisbrotherPeter,andpublishedSalmagundi(1807-08),writingincollaborationwithhisbrotherWilliamandJamesKirkePaulding.•In1809appearedIrving'scomichistoryoftheDutchregimeinNewYork,AHISTORYOFNEWYORK,bytheimaginary'DietrichKnickerbocker',whowassupposedtobeaneccentricDutch-Americanscholar.Itwasoneoftheearliestfantasiesofhistory.ThenameKnickerbockerwaslaterusedtoidentifythefirstAmericanschoolofwriters,theKnickerbockerGroup,ofwhichIrvingwasaleadingfigure.ThebookbecamepartofNewYorkfolklore,andeventuallythewordKnickerbockerwasalsousedtodescribeanyNewYorkerwhocouldtraceone'sfamilytotheoriginalDutchsettlers.•Irving'ssuccesscontinuedwithTHESKETCHBOOKOFGEOFFREYCRAYON,GENT.(1819-20),commonlyreferredtoasTheSketch•Book,acollectionof34essaysandshortstories,whichallowedhimtobecomeafull-timewriter.Titlepage•ThestorieswereheavilyinfluencedbytheGermanfolktales.Publishedseriallythroughout1819and1820,thecollectionincludestwoofIrving'sbest-knownworks,TheLegendofSleepyHollowandRipVanWinkle.ItalsomarksIrving'sfirstuseofthepseudonymGeoffreyCrayon,whichhewouldcontinuetoemploythroughouthisliterarycareer.•TheSketchBookwasthefirstwidelyreadworkofAmericanliteratureinBritainandEurope.ItalsohelpedadvancethereputationofAmericanwriterswithaninternationalaudience.Irving'stasteisessentiallyconservative.ThissocialconservatismandliterarypreferenceforthepastisrevealedinhisfamousstoryRipVanWinkle”.In1822appearedasequelofTheSketchBook,BRACEBRIDGEHALL.•IrvingstayedinEuropeforseventeenyearsfrom1815to1832.TherehewroteCOLUMBUS(1828),CONQUESTOFGRANADA(1829),andTHECOMPANIONSOFCOLUMBUS(1831),allbasedoncarefulhistoricalresearch.•In1829hemovedtoLondonandpublishedALHAMBRA(1832),concerningthehistoryandthelegendsofMoorishSpain.AlhambraisusuallyregardedasIrving'sSpanishSketchbook,becauseithasastrongflavorofSpanishculture.•In1832IrvingreturnedtoNewYorktoanenthusiasticwelcomeasthefirstAmericanauthortohaveachievedinternationalfame.Betweentheyears1842-45IrvingwasU.S.AmbassadorinSpain.•Irving'slaterpublicationsincludeMAHOMETANDHISSUCCESSORS,hisfive-volumeTheLifeofGeorgeWashington,etc.•AsanessayistIrvingwasnotinterestedinthemeaningofnaturelikeEmersonorself-inspectionlikeMontaigne.HeobservedthevanishingpastsofoldEurope,theriversidevillages,theoldhuntinggrounds,andhowladiesfashionmovesfromoneextremetotheother.•ThelanguageIrvingusesbestrevealswhataromanticwritercandowithwords.Thereismusicalityinalmosteverylineofhisprose.Irvingneverforgetstoassociateacertainplacewithinnerworldmovementofapersonandchangehissentencewithemotionsoastocreateatrueandvividcharacter.HeisworththehonorofbeingtheAmericanGoldsmithforhisliterarycraftmanship.•TheAuthor'sAccountofHimself(1819-20)isthefirstessayinTheSketchBookofGeoffreyCrayon,Gent.Theauthorintroduceshimself(hispseudonymousnarrator,GeoffreyCrayon)andexplainshispassionfortravelingandobservingstrangecharacters.•ThecommonthreadrunningthroughTheSketchBook—andakeypartofitsattractiontoreaders—isthepersonalityofIrving'spseudonymousnarrator,GeoffreyCrayon.Knowledgeableandcharming,CrayonholdsTheSketchBooktogetherthroughthesheerpowerofhispersonality.TheAuthor'sAccountofHimselfreflectsEnglishlifeandlandscape,writtenwiththeauthor'scharacteristiccharmwhilehelivedinEngland.•“Hisrich,andsometimesextravaganthumour,hisgayandgracefulfancy…”•Thebookis“positivelybeautiful”.•“EverywhereIfindinitthemarksofamindoftheutmosteleganceandrefinement,athingasyouknowthatIwasnotexactlypreparedtolookforinanAmerican.”Publicandcriticalresponse•“Thegracesofstyle;therich,warmtoneofbenevolentfeeling;thefreely-flowingveinofheartyandhappyhumour,andthefine-eyedspiritofobservation,sustainedbyanenlightenedunderstandingandregulatedbyaperceptionoffitness—atact—wonderfullyquickandsure,forwhichMr.Irvinghasbeenheretoforesomuchdistinguished,areallexhibitedanewintheSketchBook,withfreshenedbeautyandaddedcharms.”•Whatdoestheessayistemphasizeatthebeginning?•Heisespeciallyinterestedinscenes,characters,andmanners.•ramble:moveaboutaimlessly;walkaboutcasuallyorforpleasure•terraincognita:(Latin)anunknownland;anunexploredregion•propensity:aninnateinclination;at