Phillip Lopate's New Book Reappraises Washington Irving, the Forgotten Father of American Letters
In "A Washington Irving Sketch Book: Reflections on an American Writer," essayist Phillip Lopate reassesses the legacy of Washington Irving, the mind behind "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle," who has largely been forgotten. Two decades ago, Lopate, a writing professor at Columbia University, discovered Irving's complete works in a library that was deaccessioned. This book contains roughly thirty-six chapters, positing that Irving served as an early model for New York City writers. Born on April 3, 1783, he was instrumental in shaping American literary forms and had a significant impact on the culture of the city. Despite facing criticism for his portrayal of gentility and marginalized groups, Lopate's analysis delves into themes of literary fame and myth-making.
Key facts
- Phillip Lopate's new book 'A Washington Irving Sketch Book' reappraises Washington Irving's legacy.
- Lopate found a complete set of Irving's works in a deaccessioned library cache at Columbia University.
- Irving was born in New York City on April 3, 1783.
- Irving wrote 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' and 'Rip Van Winkle'.
- Irving coined the term 'the almighty dollar' and popularized Gotham as New York's nickname.
- The Knicks' name derives from Irving's fictional historian Diedrich Knickerbocker.
- Irving served as Ambassador to Spain during the reign of Isabella II.
- Lopate's book includes reflections on Irving's problematic depictions of Black people and Native Americans.
- Irving's final work was a five-volume biography of George Washington.
- Lopate compares Irving to a long-lost literary doppelgänger.
Entities
Artists
- Washington Irving
- Phillip Lopate
- Mary Shelley
- Percy Bysshe Shelley
- John Howard Payne
- Lord Byron
- Dolley Madison
- Sir Walter Scott
- John Jacob Astor
- Edgar Allan Poe
- Charles Dickens
- H. G. Wells
- Woody Allen
- Octavia Butler
- Matt Groening
- Jalen Brunson
- Mike Wallace
- Edwin G. Burrows
- Stanley T. Williams
- Philip J. McFarland
- Henry Brevoort Jr.
- Gouverneur Kemble
- James K. Paulding
- Winant Ten Broeck
- George Washington
- Christopher Columbus
- Prophet Muhammad
- Oliver Goldsmith
- John Tyler
- Isabella II
- Diedrich Knickerbocker
- Carrie Bradshaw
Institutions
- Columbia University
- New-York Historical Society
- Weill-Cornell Medical Center
- NBA
- Home Journal
- The New Yorker
- Judge
- Puck
- New York
- Spy
- Gawker
Locations
- New York City
- United States
- London
- England
- Spain
- Canada
- Manhattan
- Brooklyn
- Prospect Park
- Hudson River
- Sunnyside
- Granada
- Alhambra
- Passaic River
- New Jersey