Rip van Winkle

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What do you see?
What thoughts do you have?

Rip van Winkle

Author: Washington Irving

Title: Rip van Winkle

Year of publication: 1819

Trying to escape his every day responsibilities Rip heads into the Catskill mountains (North America) to do some hunting. He comes across some strange looking people who some seem somewhat out of place and after sipping from a strange

beverage he falls asleep. When Rip awakes he notices that things have changed and comes to the conclusion he has been asleep for twenty years! What to do?

Rip returns...

The story is set in what is now the United States. Rip falls asleep before the year 1776 and wakes up some time after this year. Why is this important do you think? Do a quick internet search.

How would people react
to Rip's return?

Washinton Irving

Influences

• William Shakespeare
• Oliver Goldsmith
• The Spectator
• Peter Klaus

Influence: William Shakespeare

Author: William Shakespeare

Title: Collected Works

Year of publication: 1623 (First Folio)

Shakespeare's work is centred around his sonnets and plays. His work has been and still is a major influence on many writers. He was one of the first to really use and beautifully describe human emotions, create compelling characters,  and great stories. Next to that Shakespeare invented many words that we still use today.

The humor, societal critique and legends and folk stories that Shakespeare used were a great influence on Irving's work.

Which words did shakespeare invent? 

Bandit

Critic

Lonely

Swagger

Unreal

Uncomfortable

Puke

Hurry

Eyeball

Bedazzle

Influence: Oliver Goldsmith

Author: Oliver Goldsmit

Title: Collected Works

Year of publication: 1762 to 1773

"There are few writers for whom the reader feels such personal kindness as for Oliver Goldsmith..." 

This is how Irving starts out in chapter 1 of his biography on Goldsmith. It is clear that Goldsmith was a great influence on Irving. Goldsmith primarily achieved success because of his simple, natural and affective style of writing, He creates affectionate characters, uses mischievous irony and mixes pleasure and sadness in an original manner. His novels, poetry and plays deal mainly with human personalities, human situations and predicaments. Goldsmith combines this humanistic realism with a splash of satire, something we see Irving do as well. 

What is the Dutch translation of: Spectator?

Influence: The Spectator

Author: Joseph Addison

Title: The Spectator (Magazine)

Year of publication: 1711 to 1712

The spectator was a magazine which published essays and stories from 1711 to 1712.  Their goal was make serious topics like religion and politics more lighthearted by often approaching it in a sarcastic manner to make it more approachable. The Spectator paved the way for magazines to come and provided a platform for writers who created a new kind of prose writing which should be serious but also

entertaining. This sarcastic and mix of seriousness and entertainment was adopted by Irving and is showcased in Rip Van Winkle.

Do you know any contemporary media (magazine, website, tvshow etc.) that is comparable to the Spectator?

Influence: Peter Klaus by

J.C.C.N. Otmar

Author: JCCN Otmar

Title: Volkssagen

Year of publication: 1800

Peter Klaus, a goatherd of Sittendorf, who tended herds on the Kyffhauser mountain, used to let them rest of an evening in a spot surrounded by an old wall, where he always counted them to see if they were all right.

Peter sets out to find a lost goat, instead he finds 12 very old nights playing skittles (bowling). He helps them set the pins and also drinks from one of their pitchers and falls asleep. When he awakes his dogs and goats are gone. He descneds the mountain to his hometown of Sittendorf and finds his house in decay. The people stare at him and his long beard. After talking to the townspeople he discovers his daughter and grandchildren are in the crown and reveals himself als Peter Klaus.

1. Letters of Jonathan Oldstyle                                   1802

A collection of nine letters written under the peseudonym Jonathan Oldstyle that focus on culture and fashion of early 19th century.

2. Salmagundi                                                                     1807–1808

Satirical magazine written mainly by Washington. The issues focussed on culture and politics of the early 19th century.

3. A History of New York                                                  1809

Satirical book on New York politics and history. Written 

under pseudonym Diedrich Knickerbocker.

4. The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent       1819–1820

A collection of short stories and 34 essays. Written under

the pseudonym Geofrey Crayon. Contains Rip van Winkle

and Legend of Sleepy. 

5. Bracebridge Hall                                                            1822

A so called episodic novel. Collection of short stories and location based character sketches. Written under the Geoffrey Crayon pseudonym. 

6. Tales of a Traveller                                                     1824

Collection of essays and short stories. Written under the Geoffrey crayon pseudonym while Irving was living in Europe.

7. A History of the Life and Voyages of 

Christopher Columbus                                                1828

Four volume fictional biography about Columbus. Very much exaggerated and one of the first examples of American historical fiction.

8. Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada                1829

A historical work describing the Spanish war with the Moors in Granada during the 15th century. Based on a manyscript by Fray Antonio Agapida.

9 Voyages and Discoveries of the 

Companions of Columbus                              1831

Historical fiction. Follow up to  a history

of Columbus. Describes the voyages of

the men that travelled alongside Columbus 

during his travels. 

Works by Washington Irving

10. Tales of the Alhambra                                             1832

After Completing Voyages and Discoveries of the

Companions of Columbus  Irving travelled from Madrid to Granada. While doing so he visited  the historic Alhambra Palace and wrote down various descriptions and obeservations. These turned into a collection of stories and essays.

11. The Crayon Miscellany                                             1835

Description of a region in Oklahoma known as "The Cross Timbers" and its native American inhabitants. It is the account of Irving's experiences accompanying a commisioner who inspects the land and removed tribes. Seen as an important historical work.

12. Astoria                                                                            1836

Irving was commissioned to write down the history of Astoria, a fort located at the mouth of the Columbia river. The story is an important historical account of American trade routes, hunting and exploration in the West.

13. The Adventures of Captain Bonneville                   1837

Irving wrote this biography for Captain Bonneville. The book recalls Bonnevill's expedition accross the American continent to Oregon. MAinly describes fur trapping and American frontier life. 

14. The Life of Oliver Goldsmith                                      1840

Biography written by Irving about a writer he very much admired. Written in detail with much love. Irving believed Goldsmith to possess a magic gift for writing and indentified with his writing. 

15. Biography and Poetical Remains of the Late Margaret Miller Davidson                                                                                    1841

Biography about a young girl name Margaret Miller. Margaret wrote beautiful poetry at a young age and was describes by Irving: "The soul was wearing out the body. I felt convinced that she was not long for the world; in truth, she already appeared more spiritual than mortal." Died when she was only 15 of tuberculosis in 1838. 

Works by Washington Irving

16. Mahomet and His Successors                            1849

Two volume biography about the life of Muhammed, religious leader and prophet of Islam. Describes the land, his followers and his life  from his birth to his death.

17. Wolfert's Roost                                                           1855

Collection of short stories which focusses on the history of the Dutch in the New York area and Irving's experiences from his time in Spain. 

18. The Life of George Washington (5 volumes) 1855–1859

Biography about George Washington's life. Seen as an important historical work because of first hand observations and material. Irving's health was detoriorating while he tried to finish what he believed was his masterpiece.

Works by Washington Irving

Select on of Irving's works and answer the questions:
- Why would you like to read this specific work? (50 words)
- What is the setting (time and place)?
- How is setting important in this story? (50 words)

What to read next: Setting (1770s USA)

Redcoat, by Bernard Cornwell

Rip van Winkle is set in both pre- and post revolutionary America. When Rip awakens after 20 years, he finds himself in a world that has changed dramatically due to a revolutionary war. 

Redcoat by Bernard Cornwell is set in Philadelphia and during one of the final years of Rip's long nap, namely 1777. 

Just a few years before the USA will officilly be founded, Redcoat shows us Philadelphia which has been recaptured by the British. A young British soldier, Sam Gilpin, struggles with his loyalty to the British Crown and his conscience which is starting to sympathize with the American revoltionaries and their call for freedom. 

What to read next: Genre (Short story)

The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson

When going through lists that mention the best American short stories, Rip van Winkle is almost always up there with the best. Another short story which is also often on these lists is The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. When first published by The New Yorker in the 1950s, the magazine was buried in letters of complaint by angry readers who were shocked by the story.

Winning the lottery is something many people dream about. Shirley Jackson takes winning the lottery to a very dark place. In a small town in the USA people gather to witness the anual lottery where a black spot plays a pivotal role. You might think again about wanting to win this lottery. 

What to read next: Theme (Freedom and tyranny)

Dune, by Frank Herbert

Rip does not feel free. He feels oppressed by a King who is far away (King George III) but is still a meddlesome ruler. Next to that his wife, and also society, keeps pressuring him in doing chores and earn money by working.

These themes, freedom and tyranny, are present in the sci-fi novel Dune by Frank Herbert. A whole planet (Arrakis) and its indigenous people are ruled by a tyrannical leader who sits on a throne, ruling from afar. A young boy is seen by many as a saviour and is expected to lead a revolution and free the planet (a planet which is seen as a colony and used for its rich resources). He feels pressured and has a hard time living up to expectations and also tries to flee from responsibility. When he finally accepts his fate he leads a revolution and changes the future of Arrakis. 

Other media resources: 

Imprisoned: The Man in a Tan Jacket

Otis Johson was arrested in 1979 and sentenced to 25 years to life imprisonment for a crime he claims he did not commit. Fast forward to 2014. Mr. Johnson is released on parole in New York after having spent 40 years in jail. 

Mr. Johnson is released into a world that is massively different from the one he knew when he was arrested. The documentary show Mr. Johnson returning to New York and seeing people walk around seemingly talking to themselves while staring at handheld devices. It is like an alien world. 

02:00

Compare. How does Otis Johnson's story link up with the classic American short story Rip van Winkle?

Other media resources: 

Websites Cryonics

Would you like to wake up in the future? How? Time travel is not possible (yet), but maybe there is another way.

Cryonics, the practice or technique of deep-freezing the bodies of people who have just died, in the hope that scientific advances may allow them to be revived in the future (definition from Oxford dictionary). 

Just like Rip van Winkle you could wake up in a totally different world. Check out these sites, what is your opinion on cryogenics? Good idea or should we not be doing this? Would you personally like to be frozen?

 Follow the links on the next slides and study the websites. 

www.cnet.com

www.alcor.org

Other media resources:

Idiocracy

In Rip van Winkle, Rip falls asleep after tasting some strange beverage he receives from some partying Dutch people on a mountain. He wakes up years later into a world he barely recognizes. 

Idiocracy takes that idea to the extreme. A soldier gets mixed up with a secret army experiment aimed at testing hybernation on humans. This experiment goes terribly wrong and instead of waking up after a year he is forgotten and wakes up nearly 500 years in the future. Society has changed, but not for the better. 

Although this movie is from 2006 there are some scary parallels with current American society. What comes to mind when watching this film?

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References