__NOTOC__ ''A History of New York'', subtitled ''From the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty'', is an 1809 literary parody on the

history of New York City The written history of New York City began with the first European explorer, the Italian Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524. European settlement began with the Dutch in 1608. The "Sons of Liberty" campaigned against British authority in New York Ci ...

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...

. Originally published under the pseudonym

Diedrich Knickerbocker Diedrich Knickerbocker is an American literary character who originated from Washington Irving's first novel, '' A History of New-York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty, by Diedrich Knickerbocker'' (1809). He is a Du ...

, later editions that acknowledged Irving's authorship were printed as ''Knickerbocker's History of New York''. The book is significant as early media describing what became modern

Christmas traditions Christmas traditions include a variety of customs, religious practices, rituals, and folklore associated with the celebration of Christmas. Many of these traditions vary by country or region, while others are practiced in a virtually identical m ...

in the United States.

Background

Irving had previously published his compilation of sketches '' Letters of Jonathan Oldstyle, Gent.'' (1802) and headed a short-lived periodical called '' Salmagundi'' (1807–1808). He completed his satirical ''A History of New York'' in 1809 after the death of his 17-year-old fiancée Matilda Hoffman. It was his first major book and a satire on local history and contemporary politics. Before its publication, Irving started a hoax by placing a series of missing person advertisements in New York newspapers seeking information on

, a Dutch historian who had allegedly gone missing from his hotel in New York City. As part of this guerilla marketing ruse he placed a notice from the hotel's proprietor informing readers that if Mr. Knickerbocker failed to return to the hotel to pay his bill he would publish a manuscript that Knickerbocker had left behind. Unsuspecting readers followed the story of Knickerbocker and his manuscript with interest, and some New York city officials were concerned enough about the missing historian to offer a reward for his safe return. Irving then published ''A History of New York'' on December 6, 1809, under the Knickerbocker pseudonym, with immediate critical and popular success. "It took with the public", Irving remarked, "and gave me celebrity, as an original work was something remarkable and uncommon in America". The name Diedrich Knickerbocker became a nickname for Manhattan residents in general and was adopted by the New York Knickerbockers basketball team.

Reception

Contemporary critics of the book described it as "an attempt to annihilate the history of America". The book loosely inspired the musical ''

Knickerbocker Holiday ''Knickerbocker Holiday'' is a 1938 musical written by Kurt Weill (music) and Maxwell Anderson (book and lyrics); based loosely on Washington Irving's '' Knickerbocker's History of New York'' about life in 17th-century New Netherland (old New Y ...

''. In 2005, reviewer Christine Wade described the book as

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming o ...

and not being a modern novel. In the introduction to the 2008 edition, Elizabeth L. Bradley argues that the work is an unconventional novel; she notes that early readers were reminded of Sterne's ''Tristram Shandy'', and that "the proto-postmodern innovations of the ''History''" resemble "the same inventive qualities in such subsequent American writers as

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...

Herman Melville Herman Melville ( born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works are '' Moby-Dick'' (1851); '' Typee'' (1846), a ...

Thomas Pynchon Thomas Ruggles Pynchon Jr. ( , ; born May 8, 1937) is an American novelist noted for his dense and complex novels. His fiction and non-fiction writings encompass a vast array of subject matter, genres and themes, including history, music, scie ...

, and Don DeLillo". In 2012, reviewer Jerome McGann said that, despite the book being satire, it also contains useful historical facts and context.

References

External links

Text at Project Gutenberg

''Britannica''
{{DEFAULTSORT:History of New York 1809 novels Literary parodies Works published under a pseudonym Works by Washington Irving Books about New York City Novels set in the American colonial era American comedy novels American satirical novels

Background

Reception

References

Further reading

External links