Washington Irving as a Romantic writer

Washington Irving was born in 1783, seven years after the independence of the U.S. Irving started his career as a writer at a time when colonialism was abolished in America, and it was a free country. Yet, he was well-informed about European writers and poets. His popularity was so much that even many great European authors knew about him. Irving was one of the most celebrated writers in his lifetime. 

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If we look at the 18th century English literature, we will see that the “Romantic Era” started with the publishing of Lyrical Ballads. Also, contemporary European literary society was observing the Romantic movement. Despite the deteriorating political relationship between the U.K and the U.S., the exchange of literary ideas did not stop. American literature of that era was very much different from that of England, and Washington Irving can be credited for this. He was the first American writer who solely earned living from writing. His books were very popular and sold hundreds of copies. He became a rich man in his lifetime. He has a great influence on American literature as well.

Nature has a major role in the Romantic movement. Almost all the major Romantic poets, such as Wordsworth and Coleridge, had been highly influenced by nature. According to Wordsworth, nature is a living organism and has a great influence on human beings. Coleridge also observed a different side of nature. They talked about nature in their poems again and again. 

If we look at the short story Rip Van Winkle, we will see that nature has a major presence in this story. First, Rip Van Winkle lived in a village that had no modern technology. People used to cultivate, and there were hills and forests. Hence, Rip Van Winkle shared a deep relationship with nature. At night, when he went to sleep, he fell asleep by the side of the hills. So, the entire setting was a natural setting, and he spent twenty years in this natural setting. His companion was not any human but a dog. So, we see a major presence and influence of nature in this story.

Another major feature of the Romantic movement was- poets like Wordsworth and Coleridge were heavily influenced by the French Revolution. On the contrary, Washington Irving was influenced by the American Revolution, which instilled Idealism in him. Though Rip Van Winkle is a simple story, it has an important underlying meaning. When Rip Van Winkle fell asleep, America was under British rule and upon waking up from his sleep, he sees an independent America. It shows that there is no king rather American people will elect their own representatives. This idea had great significance. Through this story, Irving indirectly showed that democracy is better than king’s rule. The USA was the first country in the world to establish democracy and Irving represented that democracy in a very beautiful manner. He woke up from his sleep after twenty years and upon returning to his village he found out that the village had developed a lot. This change came due to democracy. English poets and authors could not clearly say anything about democracy because England was ruled by the kings. On the contrary, there was democracy in America. So, Irving could represent democracy in such a beautiful manner in his story. 

American literature gained momentum through Washington Irving and started the Golden Age of American literature. The Romantic ideals preached by him were different from those of England. Along with nature, he included politics, which poets like Wordsworth or Coleridge could not do.