The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.
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''The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.'', commonly referred to as ''The Sketch Book'', is a collection of 34 essays and short stories written by the American author
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 ...
. It was published serially throughout 1819 and 1820. The collection includes two of Irving's best-known stories, attributed to the fictional Dutch historian
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 ...
: "
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a gothic story by American author Washington Irving, contained in his collection of 34 essays and short stories titled ''The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.'' Written while Irving was living abroad in Birm ...
" and "
Rip Van Winkle "Rip Van Winkle" is a short story by the American author Washington Irving, first published in 1819. It follows a Dutch-American villager in colonial America named Rip Van Winkle who meets mysterious Dutchmen, imbibes their liquor and falls aslee ...
". It also marks Irving's first use of the
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
Geoffrey Crayon, which he would continue to employ throughout his literary career. ''The Sketch Book'', along with
James Fenimore Cooper James Fenimore Cooper (September 15, 1789 – September 14, 1851) was an American writer of the first half of the 19th century, whose historical romances depicting colonist and Indigenous characters from the 17th to the 19th centuries brought h ...
's ''
Leatherstocking Tales The ''Leatherstocking Tales'' is a series of five novels by American writer James Fenimore Cooper, set in the eighteenth-century era of development in the primarily former Iroquois areas in central New York. Each novel features Natty Bumppo, ...
'', was among the first widely read works of American literature in Britain and Europe. It also helped advance the reputation of American writers with an international audience.


Overview

Apart from "
Rip Van Winkle "Rip Van Winkle" is a short story by the American author Washington Irving, first published in 1819. It follows a Dutch-American villager in colonial America named Rip Van Winkle who meets mysterious Dutchmen, imbibes their liquor and falls aslee ...
" and "
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a gothic story by American author Washington Irving, contained in his collection of 34 essays and short stories titled ''The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.'' Written while Irving was living abroad in Birm ...
" the pieces which made both Irving and ''The Sketch Book'' famous the collection of tales includes "Roscoe", "The Broken Heart", "The Art of Book-making", "A Royal Poet", "The Spectre Bridegroom", "Westminster Abbey", "Little Britain", and "John Bull". Irving's stories were highly influenced by German folktales, with "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" being inspired by a folktale retold by J. K. A. Musäus. Stories range from the maudlin (such as "The Wife" and "The Widow and Her Son") to the picaresque ("Little Britain") and the comical ("The Mutability of Literature"), but the common thread running through ''The Sketch Book'' and a key part of its attraction to readers is the personality of Irving's pseudonymous narrator, Geoffrey Crayon. Erudite, charming, and never one to make himself more interesting than his tales, Crayon holds ''The Sketch Book'' together through the sheer power of his personality and Irving would, for the rest of his life, seamlessly enmesh Crayon's persona with his own public reputation. Little more than five of the 33 chapters deal with American subjects: the essays "English Writers on America", "The Traits of Indian Character", "Philip of Pokanoket: An Indian Memoir", and parts of "The Author's Account of Himself" and "The Angler"; and Knickerbocker's short stories "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". Most of the remainder of the book consists of
vignettes Vignette may refer to: * Vignette (entertainment), a sketch in a sketch comedy * Vignette (graphic design), decorative designs in books (originally in the form of leaves and vines) to separate sections or chapters * Vignette (literature), short, i ...
of English life and landscape, written with the author's characteristic charm while he lived in England. Irving wrote in a preface for a later edition:


Background

Irving began writing the tales that would appear in ''The Sketch Book'' shortly after moving to England for the family business, in 1815. When the family business spiraled into
bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...
throughout 1816 and 1817 a
humiliation Humiliation is the abasement of pride, which creates mortification or leads to a state of being humbled or reduced to lowliness or submission. It is an emotion felt by a person whose social status, either by force or willingly, has just decr ...
that Irving never forgot Irving was left with no job and few prospects. He tried at first to serve as an intermediary between American and English publishers, scouting for English books to reprint in America and vice versa, with only marginal success. In the autumn of 1818, his oldest brother William, sitting as a
Congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...
from New York, secured for him a political appointment as chief clerk to the Secretary of the
U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...
, and urged Irving to return home. Irving demurred, however, choosing to remain in England and take his chances as a writer. As he told friends and family back in the United States: Irving spent late 1818 and the early part of 1819 putting the final touches on the short stories and essays that he would eventually publish as ''The Sketch Book'' through 1819 and 1820.


Contents

''The Sketch Book'' initially existed in two versions: a seven-part serialized American version in paperback and a two-volume British version in hardback. The British edition contained three essays that were not included in the original American serialized format. Two more essays, "A Sunday in London" and "London Antiques", were added by Irving in 1848 for inclusion in the Author's Revised Edition of ''The Sketch Book'' for publisher George Putnam. At that time, Irving reordered the essays. Consequently, modern editions based on Irving's own changes for the Author's Revised Edition do not reflect the order in which the sketches originally appeared. Modern editions of ''The Sketch Book'' contain all 34 stories, in the order directed by Irving in his Author's Revised Edition, as follows:


Publishing history


American editions

The first American edition of ''The Sketch Book'' initially comprised twenty-nine short stories and essays, published in the United States in seven paperbound installments, appearing intermittently between June 23, 1819, and September 13, 1820. Irving used his brother Ebenezer and friend
Henry Brevoort James Carson Brevoort (July 10, 1818 – December 7, 1887) was an American collector of rare books and coins. He served as superintendent of the Astor Library for two years, also serving as trustee. Biography J. Carson Brevoort was born in Bloo ...
as his stateside emissaries, mailing packets of each installment to them for final editing and publication. Each installment was published simultaneously in New York, Boston, Baltimore, and Philadelphia by New York publisher C.S. Van Winkle, who would send each installment into a second printing through 1819 and 1820. Under Brevoort's influence, the books were formatted as large
octavo Octavo, a Latin word meaning "in eighth" or "for the eighth time", (abbreviated 8vo, 8º, or In-8) is a technical term describing the format of a book, which refers to the size of leaves produced from folding a full sheet of paper on which multip ...
editions printed on top-grade paper and utilizing 12-point typefaces instead of the usual 8-point type. A single-volume hardcover version, reprinting the two English volumes, was published in the United States by Van Winkle in 1824.


Contents of the American installments

First installment (June 23, 1819) *" The Author’s Account of Himself" *" The Voyage" *" Roscoe" *" The Wife" *"
Rip Van Winkle "Rip Van Winkle" is a short story by the American author Washington Irving, first published in 1819. It follows a Dutch-American villager in colonial America named Rip Van Winkle who meets mysterious Dutchmen, imbibes their liquor and falls aslee ...
" Second installment (July 31, 1819) *" English Writers on America" *" Rural Life in England" *"
The Broken Heart ''The Broken Heart'' is a Caroline era tragedy written by John Ford, and first published in 1633. "The play has long vied with Tis Pity She's a Whore'' as Ford's greatest work...the supreme reach of his genius...." The date of the play's authorshi ...
" *" The Art of Book Making" Third installment (September 13, 1819) *" A Royal Poet" *" The Country Church" *" The Boar’s Head Tavern, East Cheap" *" The Widow and Her Son" Fourth installment (November 10, 1819) *" The Mutability of Literature" *" Rural Funerals" *" The Inn Kitchen" *" The Spectre Bridegroom" Fifth installment (January 1, 1820) *"
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
" *" The Stage Coach" *"
Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...
" *"
Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...
" *"
Christmas Dinner Christmas dinner is a meal traditionally eaten at Christmas. This meal can take place any time from the evening of Christmas Eve to the evening of Christmas Day itself. The meals are often particularly rich and substantial, in the tradition of ...
" Sixth installment (March 15, 1820) *"
John Bull John Bull is a national personification of the United Kingdom in general and England in particular, especially in political cartoons and similar graphic works. He is usually depicted as a stout, middle-aged, country-dwelling, jolly and matter- ...
" *" The Pride of the Village" *"
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a gothic story by American author Washington Irving, contained in his collection of 34 essays and short stories titled ''The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.'' Written while Irving was living abroad in Birm ...
" Seventh installment (September 13, 1820) *"
Little Britain Little Britain may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little Britain'' (sketch show), a British radio and then TV show ** ''Little Britain USA'', an American spin-off * "Little Britain", a song by Dreadzone from the 1995 album '' Second Light'' ...
" *"
Stratford-On-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-wes ...
" *"
Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...
" *"
The Angler ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...
"


English edition

Portions of ''The Sketch Book'' were almost immediately reprinted in British literary magazines and with no real international copyright laws to protect American works from being reprinted in England, poached American writers were entitled neither to the profits for their work, nor to legal recourse. Irving was concerned about such literary piracy "I am fearful some ritishBookseller in the American trade may get hold of 'The Sketch Book''" he told his brother in law, "and so run out an edition of it without my adapting it for the London public or participating in the profits." Determined to protect ''The Sketch Book'' from further poaching, Irving arranged to secure his British copyright by self-publishing the work in London. The first four American installments were collected into a single volume and self-published by Irving in London, under John Miller’s Burlington Arcade imprint, on February 16, 1820. In early April, however, Miller went bankrupt, leaving the bulk of ''The Sketch Book'' unsold in his warehouse. Searching for another publisher, Irving appealed to his friend and mentor,
Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...
, for assistance. Scott approached his own publisher, London powerhouse John Murray, and convinced him to purchase the rest of the stock and continue publication. (In gratitude, Irving dedicated the English editions of ''The Sketch Book'' to Walter Scott.) Heartened by the enthusiastic response to ''The Sketch Book'', Murray encouraged Irving to publish the remaining three American installments as a second volume as quickly as possible. In July 1820, Murray published the second volume of ''The Sketch Book'', including all the pieces from the final three American installments, plus three additional essays: the American Indian sketches "Philip of Pokanoket" and "Traits of Indian Character", which Irving had originally written for the ''
Analectic Magazine The ''Analectic Magazine'' (1813–1820) was published in Philadelphia by Moses Thomas, and later, by James Maxwell. Washington Irving served as editor 1813-1814. The magazine was described as "comprising original reviews, biography, analytica ...
'' in 1814, and a short original piece, "L'Envoy", in which Irving thanked his British readers for their indulgence. Given Irving's additions, the English version of ''The Sketch Book'' contained thirty-two pieces, while its American counterpart contained only twenty-nine.


Author's revised edition

In 1848, as part of the Author's Revised Edition he was completing for publisher George Putnam, Irving added two new stories to ''The Sketch Book'' "London Antiques" and "A Sunday in London" as well as a new preface and the postscript to "Rip Van Winkle". Irving also slightly changed the order of the sketches, placing a number of essays from the seventh American installment earlier in the collection, and moving "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" into a place of prominence as the final story in the collection ("L'Envoy" being merely a thank you to readers).


Public and critical response

The first American reviews were the result of well-placed advance publicity, performed on Irving’s behalf by his friend Henry Brevoort. Three days after the book’s release, Brevoort placed an anonymous review in the ''New-York Evening Post'', lauding ''The Sketch Book'' and making it clear to readers that it was Irving’s work: Outside Irving’s immediate circle of friends, the reviews were equally positive. As critic
Gulian Verplanck Gulian Crommelin Verplanck (August 6, 1786 – March 18, 1870) was an American attorney, politician, and writer. He was elected to the New York State Assembly and Senate, and later to the United States House of Representatives from New York, whe ...
wrote: Two of the book's early admirers were
Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...
(who called it "positively beautiful") and
Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...
(who said of the book, "I know it by heart"). Years later, poet
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...
said ''The Sketch Book'' was one of the earliest works to excite his interest in literature. As he said, "Every reader has his first book; I mean to say, one book among all others which in early youth first fascinates his imagination, and at once excites and satisfies the desires of his mind... To me, this first book was ''The Sketch Book'' of Washington Irving". Apart from "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", both of which were immediately acknowledged as ''The Sketch Book''’s finest pieces, American and English readers alike responded most strongly to the more sentimental tales, especially "The Broken Heart", which Byron claimed had made him weep and "The Widow and Her Son". In Britain, the book did much to promote Americans as legitimate writers, and their work as legitimate literature a concept that surprised English critics. "Everywhere I find in it the marks of a mind of the utmost elegance and refinement," wrote the English historian
William Godwin William Godwin (3 March 1756 – 7 April 1836) was an English journalist, political philosopher and novelist. He is considered one of the first exponents of utilitarianism and the first modern proponent of anarchism. Godwin is most famous for ...
, "a thing as you know that I was not exactly prepared to look for in an American." The English magazine ''
Quarterly Review The ''Quarterly Review'' was a literary and political periodical founded in March 1809 by London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River ...
'' agreed. " rvingseems to have studied our language where alone it can be studied in all its strength and perfection, and in working these precious mines of literature he has refined for himself the ore which there so richly abounds." Even Irving admitted that he was pleased to have stunned the skeptical English critics. When one English admirer asked Irving to confirm that he was really an American, Irving responded enthusiastically: "The doubts which her ladyship has heard on the subject seem to have arisen from the old notion that it is impossible for an ''American to write decent English.''" The book is compared favourably with
William Pinnock William Pinnock (3 February 1782 in Alton, Hampshire, Alton, Hampshire21 October 1843 in London) was a Kingdom of Great Britain, British publisher and educational writer. He was at first a schoolmaster, then a bookseller. In 1817 he went to Lo ...
's English educational texts in
George Eliot Mary Ann Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880; alternatively Mary Anne or Marian), known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wro ...
's novel ''
The Mill on the Floss ''The Mill on the Floss'' is a novel by George Eliot, first published in three volumes in 1860 by William Blackwood. The first American edition was published by Harper & Brothers, Publishers, New York (state), New York. Plot summary Spanning a ...
'' (1860): Maggie, talking about her 'gloomy fancy' to her cousin Lucy says: ''"Perhaps it comes from the school diet watery rice-pudding spiced with
Pinnock Pinnock is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Andrew Pinnock (born 1980), American football player * Anna Pinnock, set decorator *Arnold Pinnock, Canadian actor * Chris Pinnock (born 1979), Jamaican hurdler *Clark Pinnock (born 1 ...
. Let us hope it will give way before my mother's custards and this charming Geoffrey Crayon." Maggie took up the ''Sketch Book'', which lay by her on the table.'' (Book 6, Chapter 2) ''The Sketch Book'' cemented Irving’s reputation, and propelled him to a level of celebrity previously unseen for an American writer. "I am astonished at the success of my writings in England," Irving wrote to his publisher, "and can hardly persuade myself that it is not all a dream. Had any one told me a few years since in America, that any thing I could write would interest such men as . . . Byron, I should have as readily believed a fairy tale."


Influence on American culture

''The Sketch Book'' introduced three of Irving's most enduring and iconic characters,
Rip Van Winkle "Rip Van Winkle" is a short story by the American author Washington Irving, first published in 1819. It follows a Dutch-American villager in colonial America named Rip Van Winkle who meets mysterious Dutchmen, imbibes their liquor and falls aslee ...
,
Ichabod Crane Ichabod Crane is a fictional character and the protagonist in Washington Irving's short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Crane is portrayed, in the original work, as well as in most adaptations, as a tall, lanky individual with a scarecro ...
, and the
Headless Horseman The Headless Horseman is a mythical figure who has appeared in folklore around the world since the Middle Ages. The figure is traditionally depicted as a rider upon horseback who is missing his head. Description Depending on the legend, the Hor ...
. One of the most significant influences of ''The Sketch Book'' came from its cycle of five
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
stories, portraying an idealized and old-fashioned Yule celebration at an English country manor. Irving's stories depicted harmonious warm-hearted English Christmas customs he observed while staying in
Aston Hall Aston Hall is a Grade I listed Jacobean house in Aston, Birmingham, England, designed by John Thorpe and built between 1618 and 1635. It is a leading example of the Jacobean prodigy house. In 1864, the house was bought by Birmingham Corpo ...
, Birmingham, England, that had largely been abandoned,Kelly, Richard Michael (ed.) (2003), A Christmas Carol. p.20. Broadview Literary Texts, New York: Broadview Press, and he used the tract ''Vindication of Christmas'' (London 1652) of Old English Christmas traditions, that he had transcribed into his journal as a format for his stories. Except
Pennsylvania German The Pennsylvania Dutch (Pennsylvania Dutch: ), also known as Pennsylvania Germans, are a cultural group formed by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. They emigrated primarily from German-spea ...
Settlers, who were enthusiastic celebrators of Christmas, Irving contributed to a revival of customs in the United States.
Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
later credited Irving as an influence on his own Christmas writings, including the classic ''
A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ''A Christmas C ...
''. The
U.S. Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U. ...
issued a
Legend of Sleepy Hollow A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...
postage stamp for use with the 1974 Halloween mail.


References


Bibliography

* *(4 vols. Cited herein as PMI.) * *


External links

*
''The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.''
(Author's Revised Edition) as
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ebook #2048
''The Sketch Book''
at
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*
Publishing history of ''The Sketch Book''


at Microsoft
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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sketch Book Of Geoffrey Crayon, The 1819 short story collections Short story collections by Washington Irving Works published under a pseudonym The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Rip Van Winkle