The Sketch Book : Washington Irving's literary apprenticeship in England.

When Washington Irving attempted to earn a living as a writer in 1819, professional authors were virtually unheard of in America. Recognizing this situation, Irving decided to remain in England after the collapse of the Liverpool branch of his brothers' import-export business, where he had been working as an accountant. In England, he could observe a culture steeped in literary traditions. One result of his stay in England is The Sketch Book. On the surface, it seems to be a rambling miscellany of sketches, mostly of British life, linked together by a sentimental narrator, Geoffrey Crayon. However, the book's overall structure and its publishing history reveal an underlying argument for the importance of the imagination in American culture, for after serving a literary apprenticeship in England, Irving returns thematically to his homeland. The first set of sketches (Number I), written in England but sent to America for publishing in March, 1819, sets up the tension between American practicality and British imagination as Crayon leaves America for England. In the next three sets of sketches (Numbers II-IV), the tension between practicality and imagination is much less apparent. Irving moves Crayon into England's interior, into her graveyards, castles, and libraries. There Irving, in the guise of Crayon, begins his literary apprenticeship as well as his task of setting up England as a culture Americans should emulate. In Numbers V, VI, and VII, Irving continues to elevate the British, focusing less on their melancholy and more on their joviality as seen in their celebrations and pastimes. In his British sketches, he makes constant references to British literature in an attempt to show its effect upon British life. The final sketch of the American edition of The Sketch Book is "Little Britain," a summary of quintessentially British characters. However, in this sketch the members of Little Britain succumb to French influences in such a degree as to ignore their own culture. This negative example serves to clarify the difference between imitation and emulation. Irving seems to recognize the need to emulate, but not imitate, the British. In the British edition of The Sketch Book, published after the American numbers, he adds two sketches about American Indians and places "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" in the penultimate position, before an expression of gratitude toward readers. These sketches focus on quintessentially American characters and history and suggest that imagination can flourish on American soil. Irving has become confident as an American writer, but to do so, he has spent a grand apprenticeship in England.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Grantor

Baylor University.

Year dc:date.issued

1993

Author dc:creator

• Eubanks, Kori Collins.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Leavell, Frank Hartwell, 1928-

• Irving, Washington, 1783-1859 -- Criticism and interpretation.
• Irving, Washington, 1783-1859. Sketch-book of Geoffrey Crayon, gent.

Statement dc:rights

• Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2104/14995

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/14995