Summary Of Washington Irving, Fenimore Cooper

This week, the readings exhibit further developments of American prose and poetry. These are explored via the writings of Irving, Fenimore Cooper, and Wheatley. Washington Irving contributed interesting new developments in American literature through his completely fictional story of Rip Van Winkle. This is the first purely fictional writing that we have covered in this course. For example, in the story, Irving writes, “His historical researches, however, did not lay so much among books, as among men…their wives, rich in that legendary lore… “ (Norton Anthology 471). Here, Irving is discussing the “credibility” of his source, Diedrick Knickerbocker. He is humorously trying to play off Knickerbocker’s false information as credible facts. Thus, this adds to the fictional genre of the story. Relating to this point, Irving also introduces more humor into his writing, which we have not truly encountered thus far during this course. For example, he discussed how one of his other fictional pieces was deemed as a nonfictional historical document (Norton Anthology 471). The Norton Anthology deemed this a “comical allusion.” This humor exhibited in this excerpt is present throughout Rip Van Winkle, and it contributes to the unique tone of Irving. James Fenimore Cooper added to American prose by presenting a fresh perspective on interactions with
This is something we have seen in several readings so far. However, Wheatley presents her pleas in the form of poetry. According to the class notes, she is considered the first American poet. She was incredibly bright and this shows in her writing. She stated, “’Twas mercy brought me from my pagan land,/taught my benighted soul to understand/ That there’s a God…”(Norton Anthology 403). Wheatley’s intelligence came into play in appealing to the Christian sentiments of her readers. She caused a great deal of guilt and provoked thought about the concept of