Washington Irving - Summary American Literature To 1900 PDF

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critical commentary on his life, works and excerpt....

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WASHINGTON IRVING (1783-1859) WORKS: The Alhambra 1832: Spanish Romance and Legend of Don Munio Sancho de Hinojosa. GENRE: Fiction narrative, short story. PERIOD: Transition from Neoclassicism to Romanticism. He shows elements of the two movements. INFLUENCES: the European Romantics, Sir Walter Scott, Calderón de La Barca, Lope de Vega and books on Spanish history. THEMES: Love and death; the marvellous (Magic spells, incantations, charms, talking animals), weird phenomena); Romantic view of the past (old times were better). AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ELEMENTS: Irving was the Father of American Fiction. Sketches, poems, plays, essays. Studied law. First professional American writer of international re-known. PURPOSE: entertaining with traces of didactic purpose. AUDIENCE: American public. STYLE: Lofty diction, related with war and chivalry. CHARACTERIZATION: Stereotyped and romanticized characters. NARRATIVE MODES: description of people, places and objects; report (the hunt, the fight and the pilgrimage). RHETORICAL DEVICES: The frame story. The author avoids responsibility for delivering the narrative by using an intermediary. He is the first American literary artist to earn his living through his writings and the father of the American fiction, because he was the first to create masterpieces in a narrative genre which is very prominent in the canon of American literature: the short story. He wrote famous short stories as “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”. His father was a strict Scottish Presbyterian (wealthy merchant) and his mother was an English Episcopalian. Travels would constitute an essential stimulus to his cosmopolitan imagination throughout his existence. His first book was A History of New York (1908), whose authorship he ascribed to a curious old historian called Diedrich Knickerbocker. This book was a parody of KA Picture of New York, a guidebook which had just appeared. Irving moved to London intending to earn his living by his pen only. He was encouraged personally to do so by Sir Walter Scott, and partly through Scott’s influence, he was attracted to romanticism. Irving’s work displays the transition from neoclassicism to romanticism and combines elements from both movements. He displayed a very careful control of technical skill. Among other residual features of the 18th Century culture to be found in Irving’s work is his lack of concern about individuality and originality. Sentimentalism prevails over rationalism, and moral exhortation tends to give way to a purely aesthetic appreciation, though didactic purpose is not completely absent. In order to arouse intense and uncommon emotions, the artist’s imagination dwells in remote settings, far away in time and space, often even escaping from its material environment into a world of fantasy. In that way Irving shares with most European romantics their enthusiasm for exotic landscapes and their keen interest in the past, particularly their predilection for the medieval era. Adapting German folk and recasting legends became one of the most important trends of his literary pursuit: The Sketch Book (1819-20), Bracebridge Hall (1822) and Tales of the Traveller (1824).

When he returned to New York he wrote The Western Journals (1944) so as to renew his acquaintance with his homeland. He also wrote Life of Washington (1855-59), a monumental biography of the General after whom he had been named. After returning to America, Irving read Calderón de la Barca, Lope de Vega and books on Spanish history, and he had a great interest in the history of Columbus. He wrote many books about him. In Seville he met Cecilia Böhl von Faber (Fernán Caballero), who enjoyed telling him folk tales and anecdotes about the Spanish peasantry. In his stay in the Alhambra he took notes of stories and legends from both oral and written sources. In 1832 he published The Alhambra in two volumes. While love and death are the predominant themes of the book, it relies almost exclusively on the marvellous, primarily through the use of magic spells, incantations, charms, talking animals and other weird phenomena. He wanted illusion and mystery to be easily seen through, not to mix them up with the factual realities of the present. For this, Irving resorted to the well-known method of telling a story by presenting it as second-hand. One of his favourite narrative devices was to introduce an intermediary who allowed the real author to justify and distance himself from the tale by presenting himself as a mere editor of an old manuscript or some enigmatic papers found by accident. To a certain extent, the use of a fictitious intermediary narrator is linked to the practice of publishing anonymously or under a pseudonym, but as a narrative technique it involves the creation of a frame story, in which the author becomes a mediator between the original storyteller and the reader. The artist feels free to adapt legends while dispensing with historical accuracy, and to turn into serious literature his skilfully crafted elaborations of folklore materials. From The Alhambra (1832) - “Spanish Romance” (it is an introductory prose piece which illustrates Irving's perception of the Spanish culture). - “Legend of Don Munio Sancho de Hinojosa” (extract exam sample 4) -He was the first to create short story masterpieces. -Transition from neoclassicism to romanticism, combining elements from both movements. -Classicist concern with technical skill and traditional themes to produce balanced artificial patterns, contrasts with romantic focus with spontaneity, individuality and originality. Romantic sensationalism (intense and uncommon emotions, fantastic setting or magic) prevails over rationalism, and moral exhortation gives way to a purely aesthetic appreciation, though didactic purpose is not completely absent; besides, his enthusiasm for foreign landscapes and interest in the past, the medieval era in particular. He followed Sir Walter Scott’s attention to the German folk and fairy tales of bewitchment. His visit and stay in Spain will also be reflected in his collection of short stories The Alhambra: A Series of Tales and Sketches of the Moors and Spaniards”. Feeling uneasy about blending fact and fiction, Irving resorted to the method of telling a story by presenting it as secondhand (as a legend, or folk-tale), presenting himself as an intermediary (i.e. editor or finder of lost papers), to avoid responsibility when describing mysteries, illusions, or supernatural events. Using a fictitious intermediary narrator, as well as publishing anonymously or under a pseudonym involves

creating a frame story in which the writer feels free to adapt any legend while dispensing historical accuracy. Irving’s attraction for Spanish legends was largely due to their high ‘oriental’ flavour, absent from other European cultures, and also by its code of honour, its chivalric tradition, courtesy, romantic generosity, high disinterestedness, high-minded, proud-spirited, disdainful of material gains, generous, although poor not vulgar. “Legend of Don Munio Sancho de Hinojosa” also entails a captivity narrative (Some Moors made captive by some Christians). However captives are not insulted or dishonoured, but become guests of honour; when the king is to be made captive, he escapes. Furthermore, when the Christian knight died in battle, the freed spirits magically or miraculously ‘escape’ on a pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem. Using stereotypical characters –representing certain virtuous or vices, rather than individuals- Irving tries to recapture ancient virtuous modes of behaviour in clear contrast with American contemporary ones. In addition, comment is the narrative mode that dominates the story, where the fictive narrator keeps praising the virtuous of past actions and behaviour between two distinct, sometimes hostile, communities, and present situation, mostly concerned with material gains. The Spanish legend is used as an excuse to expose the writer’s preferences. Besides, he appeals to the reader’s emotional response(s) to persuade them of his ‘correct’ analysis and values: Chivalric, courteous, generous behaviour. In clear contrast between real and fictive accounts of war fares between European colonists and the Indians, for example, or between the British and the Americans, Irving’s legend presents an ideal as well as magic portrait of past war events as possible models to be imitated. Furthermore, he made his narrator reliable when he supported his story with historical texts. Irving shares with most European romantics their enthusiasm for exotic landscapes and their keen interest in the medieval era. Often escaping from material environment into a world of fantasy. In order to entertain his expanding public, he combined, in a prose style, fact and fiction. He used an ornamental style to create a particular ATMOSPHERE, diction (choice of vocabulary and arrangement of words), pace and imagery. He used the four narratives modes: kinds of utterance through which a narrative is conveyed. The four narrative modes can reveal character. His narrative technique involves the creation of a frame story (story within a story), in which the author becomes a mediator between the original storyteller and the reader, by the use of this strategy, the artist feels free to adapt legends while dispensing with historical accuracy. His narrative voice conveys a powerful self-assurance. WASHINGTON IRVING’S CONCEPT OF “SPANISH ROMANCE”: Washington Irving was attracted to Romanticism under the influence of Sir Walter Scott. He shares with romantic writers their enthusiasm for exotic landscapes and their keen interest in the past, particularly for the medieval era. So, it can be said that the main purpose of Irving was to arouse intense and uncommon emotions, throughout remote settings, far away in time (medieval era) and space, the creation of a world of fantasy. “Legend of Don Munio Sancho de Hinojosa” represents perfectly his idea of Romanticism. The main plot of the work i s the conflict between Christians and Muslims in the Iberian Peninsula from 8th to the 15th century, which means that it is a supposed recreation of the past, especially of the

medieval period. Furthermore, although the work was written in Spain itself, the place is not considered the same because it was the Spain of the medieval times. Moreover, in the plot fact and fiction are merged and the presentation of the fact is idealized in order to create a fantasy world. The introductory remarks to the “Legend of Don Munio Sancho de Hinojosa” are written in an ingratiating prose style. This kind of writing might have been prompted by the author’s opposition to “the degeneracy of the present times” which he had already denounced at the age of nineteen. The kind of audience this work is addressed to is the general audience from the future. This means the time Irving was writing this work, he was not thinking about the audience of that time, but of the future time. The evidence for this statement is not based only on his own statement “the degeneracy of the present times,” but also on his response to the critics of his time with the one “If my writings are worth anything, they will outlive temporary criticism; if not, they are not worth caring about.” When he said these words he wanted future readers to be amazed of his work. For this reason, he is so keen on fantasy and medieval times because these works will be always exotic for any kind of readers, no matter the time and the location. Regarding the ingratiating remarks, they may sound artificial nowadays and make the narrative somewhat old-fashioned. PLOT AND SETTING OF THE “LEGEND OF DON MUNIO SANCHO DE HINOJOSA:” The plot and the setting of the “Legend of Don Munio Sancho de Hinojosa” can be divided into two parts according to the chronology. The first part takes place in Castile during the medieval period. Don Munio Sancho de Hinojosa is presented as a noble knight who fights to defend Castile against the Moors Conquest of Spain. In this part, Abadil, a powerful Moor, asks for a kind of truce to marry a lady peacefully. Because of the fact that Don Munio was a gentleman, he offers his own castle to celebrate the wedding for fifteen days. The second part of the story takes place several years after the first part and in Salmanara Don Munio and his nobles were called by the King of Castile in order to fight against the Moors. Although Doña María, the wife of Don Munio, does not want his husband to go into the battle, he decides to do it, because he needs to defend his and Castile’s honours, thinking according to the medieval knight code of honour. In the battle, Abidail, unaware of the fact that the knight who is fighting against is Don Munio, kills him. After this event, Don Munio is buried in the convent of San Domingo, and soon after this, Doña María joined him. Furthermore, the same day when the battle takes place and Don Munio and some knights passed away, in the Holy Temple at Jerusalem, their spirits appeared to fulfil their vow of pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulchre. CHARACTERIZATION OF DON MUNIO AND HIS WIFE: it is important to note author’s tendency to rely on stereotype characters. A stereotype is a generalized, oversimplified character, whose thoughts and actions are excessively predictable because they have become conventional. Don Munio represents the prototype of the ideal medieval knight who fights to defend not only his honour, but also Castile’s and his king’s. Doña María is the prototype medieval lady, who both supports his husband to go into battle and is also afraid of him dying, like it happened in this story. We note that physical descriptions are not provided in the story. Irving prefers focusing on their actions, thoughts, and emotions, which really defined how they are, and most importantly, how they are perceived: Don Munio as a strong, brave and honourable knight who needs to do constantly

exploits and save and protect people, and Doña María as fragile, faithful and loyal, who needs constantly saving. Moreover, in their relationship, we can see the dependency of Doña María, who represents women, to Don Munio, who represents men. When Don Munio passed away, Doña María is not able to survive without him; she passed away soon after, showing that a lady will not able to live without his knight. We can conclude that Don Munio and Doña María do not represent real people, but idealized characters in an idealized world. USE OF THE FRAME STORY: the frame is located at the end of the introduction entitled “Spanish Romance” and at the end of the story itself. The frame story as a narrative technique was innovative in Irving’s times. This technique implies that the author becomes a mediator between the original storyteller, Fray Prudencio de Sandoval in this case, and the reader. With this technique, the author not only gains distance and avoids responsibility of the facts presented, but also he feels free to adapt legends while dispensing with historical accuracy, and to turn into serious literature his Skilfully crafted elaborations of folklore materials. USE OF THE FOUR NARRATIVE MODES (DESCRIPTION, REPORT, COMMENT AND SPEECH): All the four narratives are found in the text:  Description (of people, objects, or geographical settings): for example of characters such as Don Munio, Doña María, Abadil and his fiancée, and places such as the convent of San Domingo.  Report (of actions): the battle between Moors and Christians, the death and the funeral of Don Munio and the apparition of Don Munio and other knights in Jerusalem.  Speech (either direct or reported): the dialogue between Don Munio and Abadil in the first part of the text, the dialogue between Doña María and Don Munio, between Don Munio and his knights, the grief of Abadil when he realizes he has just slain Don Munio, and the dialogue between Doña María and his steward.  Comment (e.g. moralizing disquisition or digression): this narrative mode is incrusted in the depiction of Don Munio, Doña María and Abadil and especially at the end of the excerpt, when Don Munio and his knights arrived in Jerusalem as good Christians. All the narrative modes are important, but the report and description are the most used ones, as they contribute to the development of the action and the creation of the atmosphere, which is the most important features of the work, rather than the interaction among the characters. Sometimes, when trying to appeal to the emotions, Irving slipped into the sentimental. Sentimentality is an excessive reliance on emotional effect, or pathos so great to strain the reader’s willingness to believe. Pathos is the quality in a work of art which evokes deep feelings of tenderness, pity, or sorrow. The description of the characters is quite idealized. This means that if at some time these people were real, probably they were not as they are described in the excerpt. In order to create that idealization, Irving needs to sentimentalize the descriptions. For example, when Don Munio is called to go into battle, Doña Maria suffers a lot because she is afraid of him dying and when Don Munio is slain by Abadil, the latter is feeling terribly grief. And as it has been commented in a previous question, after Don Munio’s death, Doña María does not live much longer; we can say she dies of sorrow. So, this last example is the one which shows better the excessive reliance on emotional effect.

Critics have often referred to Irving’s feelings of nostalgia for an idealized past. The setting of almost of his stories is past time, especially the medieval period, because in this setting he can create an idealized and a fantasy world to all his adventures and stories. Furthermore, the romance was born and achieved its greatest splendour in the medieval period when the chivalry honour code used to dominate people’s lives and any lady’s honour could be sullied. Irving created a world where fact and fiction merged and the reader does not know what is true and false. In 1857 Irving wrote to Samuel Austin Allibone about The Alhambra: “Everything in the work relating to myself and to the actual inhabitants of the Alhambra is unexaggerated fact: it was only in the legends that I indulged in romancing; and these were founded on materials picked up about the place.” romance was a literary genre born and developed in the medieval period, when the chivalry honour code used to rule people’s lives, when ladies used to be saved by knights, and these latter preferred to give their own life as defending his honour and his realm than to live breaking this honour. In “Legend of Don Munio Sancho de Hinojosa” all of these features can be found: Don Munio is a gentle and faithful knight who gives his life defending Castile, Doña María and Abadil’s fiancée are completely depended on their men and finally the excerpt finished with the apparition of Don Munio and his knights in Jerusalem in order to fulfil their vow of pilgrimage according to the Castile’s faith, which idealizes more the characters. STYLE: style refers to the habitual manner of expression of an author, and includes among other elements: diction (choice of vocabulary and arrangement of words), imagery (the use of a consistent pattern of related images), and pace (the rate at which an action progresses, by compressing or expanding the narration). The concept of atmosphere refers to the intangible equality evoked by a work of art through its appeals to both extra-sensory and sensory perception. The Puritan plain style is quite simple and direct, because it is used in order to give a straight message, which can be understood by as many people as possible. We need to take into consideration that the purpose of works written in Puritan plain style is to transmit an important and moral message. The Puritan plain style is quite simple and direct, because it is used in order to give a straight message, which can be understood by as many people as possible. We need to take into consideration that the purpose of works written in Puritan plain style is to transmit an important moral message. On the other hand, Irving’s style is not plain, but ornate and artificial because his purpose was to write a romance. For that purpose, he needed to create a fantasy world, far away and unreachable to the reader. DICTION: w...