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Eric Seddon on Washington Irving

Alongside Miklos Banffy, Washington Irving is probably my favourite author. I have two sets of his complete works, and will obtain at least a third — my favourite printing of the complete Irving, in an excellent handy size — when I can find it for the right price. It is curious, but by no means suprising, that Irving’s genius is nearly forgotten today even though he was the first American to be an international superstar, famed on both sides of the Atlantic. He is mostly known only through his authorship of Rip van Winkel and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, both of which works are rarely presented in their original written form, but almost always in shortened illustrated versions for schoolchildren from publishers convinced of their audience’s stupidity.

Irving is rarely in the limelight these days, but First Things Online recently published an informative article, “Washington Irving and the Specter of Cultural Continuity” by one Eric Seddon, that is well worth reading.

His first book, Dietrich Knickerbocker’s History of New York, capitalized on the amnesia of New Yorkers by a mix of biting satire and real history of the Dutch reign in Manhattan. The book is foundational to any study in American humor. It is wild, free, self-deprecatory, and merciless to the public figures of his day, and by turns lyrically funny, absurd, and reflective. Without it, we might wonder whether American humor, from Twain to the Marx brothers to Seinfeld, would have taken the particular shape it did.

When Americans, always prone to utopian daydreams, were in danger of taking themselves far too seriously, when the term “manifest destiny” was embryonic, Dietrich Knickerbocker rolled his bugged-out eyes, chuckled gruffly, and whispered into the ear of a young nation, “Remember thou art mortal.” […]

Irving’s two most famous stories are to be found in The Sketch Book, virtually bookending the text: “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” In “Rip Van Winkle,” Irving whimsically pointed out the hazards of the new Republic, that a once humble acceptance of life under monarchy could easily give way to arrogant corruption, vice, and the nauseating specter of being governed by village idiots with a gift for demagoguery. […]

The final warning of the book comes in the form of a Headless Horseman, who is either a real ghost of the Revolution or the town bully in disguise, and who targets, of all people, the schoolmaster (even small towns have their intelligentsia). Is it history chasing Icabod Crane, the puritanical teacher obsessed with stories of witch hunts, or just Brom Bones scaring him out of town? Irving doesn’t say, and perhaps our answers tell more about ourselves than about him.

Washington Irving spent his last days in Tarrytown, near the setting of his most famous story. He was a member of the local Episcopal Church, tried to revive the old Dutch festivities on St. Nicholas Day, and was moved to tears by singing the Gloria. In particular he loved to repeat the words “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and good-will to men.” Though his era was in many ways a bigoted one, he resisted and thereby helped to shape a better future. One of his last revisions to Knickerbocker came late, removing the anti-Catholic references its youthful version contained. He was a man who had seen his share of specters, to be sure, but who didn’t believe they were the strongest reality.

Published at 2:21 pm on Saturday 7 March 2009. Categories: Books History New York Tags: , , , , .
Comments

Irving and my ancestral namesake were bosom friends and met often at irvington to discuss the latest events, preferably those close to home.
Bigoted? I would prefer to say biased – in favour of the good rather than the bad, the intelligent rather than the stupid, and the beautiful rather than the ugly.
Our wretched era pretends that there is no choice to make – and sinks into an abyss of its own making.

— L Gaylord Clark 7 Mar 2009 8:27 pm

But it was Irving who started the ridiculous notion that until Columbus all men believed that the earth was flat.

— Gabriel Austin 17 Apr 2009 8:42 pm

Having been reminded of original use of the name Ichabod in I Samuel 4:19-22, I came to the realization that Irving was most likely commenting on, “The Glory departing from the church,” as well as the abuses of power in the American Republic. Would Ichabod Crane have been pursued by demons in the form they take in the story if the glory of God had not departed from him, and metaphorically from the church? Just a question which invites comments.

— Jerry Budd 12 Oct 2009 1:13 pm

Who is Eric Seddon? I am new to this blog, but have always had an interest in the intelectual life, mostly in the area of the renewel of the Church. Unfortunately, the Church has become rather stuffy and devoid of true spiritual life as reflected in the New Testament. Their are signs of the resurrection of the Church to a dynamic faith as reflected in the Gospels. Signs and wonders, individual and corporate deliverance from demonic influence, as well as the gifts of the Holy Spirit are a positive signal that something wonderful is occuring with the Church. I look forward to hearing from others on this topic.

— Jerry Budd 12 Oct 2009 10:25 pm

Hey, for more on Irving & Knickerbocker, read my book! I think you’ll recognize a few favorite societies, haunts, and jolly old fellows…

http://rutgerspress.rutgers.edu/acatalog/Knickerbocker.html

— Betsy 21 Dec 2009 4:15 pm
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