How Does Washington Irving Show The Power Of Fiction
Washington Irving (2010), writer of the classic short story “Rip Van Winkle,” uses his writings to express his views of disagreement with pre-Revolutionary War era thinking. His views on how the Puritans thought are carefully displayed in his works. Through his writing, Washington Irving demonstrates the power of fiction as he indicates the apparent errancies of the American Revolution. Fiction has the power to subtly infiltrate one’s thinking. Sarah Wyman (2010), an Associate Professor at the State University of New York at New Paltz, in her article “Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle: A Dangerous Critique on a New Nation” states, “Novels and stories may excite the passions and fancies of impressionable readers, but could also seduce naïve
ones, or harbor subversive propaganda between their pages.” Writing has the ability to hide a deeper meaning in order to present the author’s thoughts in a tortuous manner, disguising the author’s true intentions in order to leave a story with a deeper, hidden meaning that is so subtle not all will notice it. This is especially true when it comes to “Rip Van Winkle.” In the story, Irving (2010) tells of how Rip Van Winkle, a lazy, “hen-pecked” husband, wanders from his Appalachian village, and, after meeting the long-lost crew of the Half Moon, including Henry Hudson, only to wake up twenty years later (Irving, 2010, p.151-161). Upon waking up, Rip does not recognize his village, or the people who are there, who, to him, act strange (Irving, 2010, p. 157-158). This is due to the major change that came about in the land since Rip fell asleep—the Revolutionary War (Irving, 2010, p. 158). Wyman (2010) states that this shows how, without directly stating it, Irving describes the time after the War for Independence when the Americans are pushing forward into the new, non-British future. Literature is a powerful way to encourage others to convert to one’s way of thinking.
ones, or harbor subversive propaganda between their pages.” Writing has the ability to hide a deeper meaning in order to present the author’s thoughts in a tortuous manner, disguising the author’s true intentions in order to leave a story with a deeper, hidden meaning that is so subtle not all will notice it. This is especially true when it comes to “Rip Van Winkle.” In the story, Irving (2010) tells of how Rip Van Winkle, a lazy, “hen-pecked” husband, wanders from his Appalachian village, and, after meeting the long-lost crew of the Half Moon, including Henry Hudson, only to wake up twenty years later (Irving, 2010, p.151-161). Upon waking up, Rip does not recognize his village, or the people who are there, who, to him, act strange (Irving, 2010, p. 157-158). This is due to the major change that came about in the land since Rip fell asleep—the Revolutionary War (Irving, 2010, p. 158). Wyman (2010) states that this shows how, without directly stating it, Irving describes the time after the War for Independence when the Americans are pushing forward into the new, non-British future. Literature is a powerful way to encourage others to convert to one’s way of thinking.