Well done! Oh, dear, but may I pick a few nits? Prior to Washington Irving, Charles Brockden Brown’s work gained traction in Europe, and I think Irving would call Brown our first national literary treasure. Oh fiddlesticks, I hate sounding critical. Thank you very much for bringing the Hessian angle of the story into focus. It wasn’t so much about their place of origin or heritage as it was what they did for England that got them such a bad rap. I remember hearing a speaker years ago who mentioned that almost anyone from anywhere who wanted to privateer for the Brits got a Hessian uniform. I was also told that some signed up just to get to the colonies, and then deserted or outright defected. I have the notes of that lecture around here somewhere. Anyway, I adore your style, and the depth of your focus. The only other thing (the ole lady said timidly) I would point out is that prior to the Sketchbook, Irving became quite popular with his satirical History of New York under the guise F. Knickerbocker, a character whose opinions were often opposite his own. He and his brother at first researched to create a serious work, but his brother went on to business opportunities and well, Irving couldn’t resist putting his own special spin on their research. This attention to the history of his home state of course also informed The Sketchbook.
Thank you for this! I appreciate the additional information and perspective, especially since I'm not as well-versed in Irving's background. The quote about him being the first American to receive critical literary praise in England was taken from a 1953 article - one I somehow managed to delete the footnote to but have since added it back in - so I am certain the scholarship surrounding Brown and Irving has expanded significantly.
I do think I could have dived into much greater detail about the connection to the Hessians and Irving beyond my initial search, and it ended up being more cursory than I usually do.
Finally, I suspect it'd be a fun topic to research early American satirists in greater depth - Twain, Irving, Bierce, among others. You've given me a lot of food for thought, and thank you for reading!
Quite interesting that the article was from 1953! That’s about when Brockden Brown was dropped from most curriculum, along with a lot of pre-1800 writers. Feel free to look at the writing I did on here this fall, it’s all on early American short story writers. I’d love your feedback.
I’m so glad I found this, and I can already tell I’m going to love your blog. I’ve read Sleepy Hollow so many times; it used to be my go to Halloween story. Thank you for this background info about it!
Well done! Oh, dear, but may I pick a few nits? Prior to Washington Irving, Charles Brockden Brown’s work gained traction in Europe, and I think Irving would call Brown our first national literary treasure. Oh fiddlesticks, I hate sounding critical. Thank you very much for bringing the Hessian angle of the story into focus. It wasn’t so much about their place of origin or heritage as it was what they did for England that got them such a bad rap. I remember hearing a speaker years ago who mentioned that almost anyone from anywhere who wanted to privateer for the Brits got a Hessian uniform. I was also told that some signed up just to get to the colonies, and then deserted or outright defected. I have the notes of that lecture around here somewhere. Anyway, I adore your style, and the depth of your focus. The only other thing (the ole lady said timidly) I would point out is that prior to the Sketchbook, Irving became quite popular with his satirical History of New York under the guise F. Knickerbocker, a character whose opinions were often opposite his own. He and his brother at first researched to create a serious work, but his brother went on to business opportunities and well, Irving couldn’t resist putting his own special spin on their research. This attention to the history of his home state of course also informed The Sketchbook.
Thank you for this! I appreciate the additional information and perspective, especially since I'm not as well-versed in Irving's background. The quote about him being the first American to receive critical literary praise in England was taken from a 1953 article - one I somehow managed to delete the footnote to but have since added it back in - so I am certain the scholarship surrounding Brown and Irving has expanded significantly.
I do think I could have dived into much greater detail about the connection to the Hessians and Irving beyond my initial search, and it ended up being more cursory than I usually do.
Finally, I suspect it'd be a fun topic to research early American satirists in greater depth - Twain, Irving, Bierce, among others. You've given me a lot of food for thought, and thank you for reading!
Quite interesting that the article was from 1953! That’s about when Brockden Brown was dropped from most curriculum, along with a lot of pre-1800 writers. Feel free to look at the writing I did on here this fall, it’s all on early American short story writers. I’d love your feedback.
So interesting and in depth. I really enjoyed reading your article.
Thank you, Chloe! That means so much!
I’m so glad I found this, and I can already tell I’m going to love your blog. I’ve read Sleepy Hollow so many times; it used to be my go to Halloween story. Thank you for this background info about it!