American literature

[Omnipotent]

Hello! I had recently finished reading "The Devil and Tom Walker" and "Rip Van Winkle" which are both short stories/folk tales written by Washington Irving (most of you probably already know that though =P).

When I finished reading these, it mentioned in the afternotes that these short stories were distinctly American, which sparked my interests. However, it did not elaborate any further. I've tried researching why these stories are "distinctly American" but to no avail.

What are characteristics of American literature? And how do those two short stories convey the characteristics?

[PeterL]

I don't think that I have read "The Devil and Tom Walker", but Rip Van Winkle" is distinctly Amercan, because it doesn't rely on non-American background or mythology, the setting, characters, and actions are completely American. It is also one of the neatest pieces of satire that I have ever read, but most people don't see the satire, because they aren't aware that there aren't any poor Van Winkles. The Van Winkles long ago started putting their money out at interest and "sleeping" for twenty years, while the money earned interest.

[Wild Apple]

PeterL, I've never read Rip Van Winkle, so you can tell me, is the style decidedly non-English? Because not only does the content have to be original, but so does the style.

I can tell you that Emerson most likely did not think those works American, as he told Harvard in 1837 that we need original American poets. And this call wasn' truly answered until Leaves of Grass in 1855.

[Virgil]

I think Washington Irving can be seen as transitionary in style. But nonetheless, he is American. His themes are very American.

[Whifflingpin]

The world wide web of literature is so inextricably woven together that, unless you define your terms very precisely, there is no sense in talking about American, British, English, Latvian, Chinese or whatever literature.

All literature shares themes of love, death, family, duty and so on. All European literature resonates with the treatment of those themes and others by classical Greek writers, and the Hebrew and Christian scriptures.

American literature is a derivative of European literature, and cannot divorce itself, any more than the literature of England can, from its Shakespearian heritage, to mention but a tiny part. And the literature of England has been enriched and influenced since the seventeenth century, I guess, or since 1776, we know, by writers from west of the Atlantic.

So - I did not mean to be contentious - can we have a more precise answer to the original questions?

What are characteristics of American literature? And how do those two short stories convey the characteristics?

[Virgil]

The world wide web of literature is so inextricably woven together that, unless you define your terms very precisely, there is no sense in talking about American, British, English, Latvian, Chinese or whatever literature.

All literature shares themes of love, death, family, duty and so on. All European literature resonates with the treatment of those themes and others by classical Greek writers, and the Hebrew and Christian scriptures.

American literature is a derivative of European literature, and cannot divorce itself, any more than the literature of England can, from its Shakespearian heritage, to mention but a tiny part. And the literature of England has been enriched and influenced since the seventeenth century, I guess, or since 1776, we know, by writers from west of the Atlantic.

So - I did not mean to be contentious - can we have a more precise answer to the original questions?

What are characteristics of American literature? And how do those two short stories convey the characteristics?


Good points Whiff. I can only speak of Rip Van Winkle. I haven't read the other.

As to Rip, first it's set in a very specific American locale, the Catskill mountains, and the nuiances of the story reflect the time and place. The story is about a man who falls asleep prior to the American revolution and wakes up after. He sleeps for 20 years or so, and so the culture has changed. He's shocked to find the new governement and shocked to find his rural town has become comercialized, with the values of commerce replacing the values of agrarian society.

Yes, every culture has the same general themes of love, death, family, etc. But the details and nuiances do reflect a time and place and culture. Take The Illiad, with it's themes of war and death and manhood, and one can only see that written the way it was in 8th or was it 9th century BC Greece. It would have been different even in 5th century BC Greece.

[Whifflingpin]

"I can only speak of Rip Van Winkle. I haven't read the other."

Ditto, and its many years since I read Rip van Winkle.

"He's shocked to find the new governement "
But, if I remember rightly, in the portrait of the government as shown in the inn sign, the coat has changed from red to blue, but the face is the same.
Is this significant, maybe a part of the satire that PeterL refers to?

"But the details and nuances do reflect a time and place and culture."
Indeed so. That is why I did not say that there is no such thing as American literature, only that it needs a fairly precise definition.

So - in Rip van Winkle, we have a) written by an American, b) set in a significant time in American history,* c) set in specific American location, and d) having a theme of commerce versus agriculture. Any one of these would not be sufficient, but taken together they make it "distinctly American."
Is that a fair answer to the question?



(*contradiction in terms of course, to an Englishman such as myself - US may have literature but it certainly has no history)

[Il Penseroso]

There's also the rapidity of the shift in cultures Rip experiences, as I recall, that I'd classify as American, perhaps not distictly though. I have a hard time with this sort of thing, for many of the reasons Whiff pointed out.

[genoveva]

What are characteristics of American literature?

I think what makes American literature "American" is 1) It must be written by an American and 2) the writing reflects an American experience. The experience is key.

[genoveva]

(*contradiction in terms of course, to an Englishman such as myself - US may have literature but it certainly has no history)

Huh? What do you mean America has no history? That is silly, of course it does. Er, or else no one would be required to take US History classes! And Howard Zinn would have nothing to write about. What do you mean by this statement?

[Whifflingpin]

"What do you mean by this statement?"

I just mean to wind people up - but I might ask how you could think that the US has a history, when the country is younger than any tortoise of mature years, or at least, it was when I was young, half a century or so ago. I notice you are located in Oregon, my great-grandpa was there with young General Crook, just after your north/south squabble - my grandpa told me all about it.

[PeterL]

PeterL, I've never read Rip Van Winkle, so you can tell me, is the style decidedly non-English? Because not only does the content have to be original, but so does the style.

I can tell you that Emerson most likely did not think those works American, as he told Harvard in 1837 that we need original American poets. And this call wasn' truly answered until Leaves of Grass in 1855.

The tone, style , and language were not British. Washington Irving was a teller of casual, pleasant stories. I haven't read a lot of British popular stories from the early 1800's, but Irving's style was very unlike English writers of that period that I have read. I wouldn't be surprised, if Emerson just didn't like the non-intellectual style..

[PeterL]

I think what makes American literature "American" is 1) It must be written by an American and 2) the writing reflects an American experience. The experience is key.

I'll drink to that.

[Omnipotent]

I don't think that I have read "The Devil and Tom Walker", but Rip Van Winkle" is distinctly Amercan, because it doesn't rely on non-American background or mythology, the setting, characters, and actions are completely American.

However, backgrounds on the folk tale "Rip Van Winkle" state that that folk tale is based on German folktales.

I think I grasp the concept of what makes a literature piece American.

You guys are wonderful. Thank you very much. =)

[PeterL]

However, backgrounds on the folk tale "Rip Van Winkle" state that that folk tale is based on German folktales.


It may be true that there were German folk tales that shared some feathures with Rip's story, but Irving's story is quite original and definitely American in setting, characters, and concept.

[Wild Apple]

The world wide web of literature is so inextricably woven together that, unless you define your terms very precisely, there is no sense in talking about American, British, English, Latvian, Chinese or whatever literature.

All literature shares themes of love, death, family, duty and so on. All European literature resonates with the treatment of those themes and others by classical Greek writers, and the Hebrew and Christian scriptures.

American literature is a derivative of European literature, and cannot divorce itself, any more than the literature of England can, from its Shakespearian heritage, to mention but a tiny part. And the literature of England has been enriched and influenced since the seventeenth century, I guess, or since 1776, we know, by writers from west of the Atlantic.

So - I did not mean to be contentious - can we have a more precise answer to the original questions?

What are characteristics of American literature? And how do those two short stories convey the characteristics?


That's very true. But although you are correct in asserting that American literature can not be completely divorced from other cultures; if it has any value, it must not be imitative.

Even though it isn't very satisfying, I agree with genoveva's comment, and think it correct.

[genoveva]

"What do you mean by this statement?"

I just mean to wind people up - but I might ask how you could think that the US has a history, when the country is younger than any tortoise of mature years, or at least, it was when I was young, half a century or so ago. I notice you are located in Oregon, my great-grandpa was there with young General Crook, just after your north/south squabble - my grandpa told me all about it.

It is true that America is quite young compared to other countries, but it nonetheless has significant history. :rolleyes: Tsk Tsk to you posters who are always winding people up! :p

[genoveva]

Even though it isn't very satisfying, I agree with genoveva's comment, and think it correct.

Well, I got it straight from my teacher's edition of American Literature textbook- of which I teach to high schoolers. And, you're right, it isn't a very satisfying definition, but the best, although simple, definition I have come across. I would like to find something more satisfying, but, then again, I don't know how much more specific it needs to get, really.

I'm appreciative of the Rip Van Winkle discussion as I have been considering sharing this with my class- we're right about at the American Revolution point.

[Whifflingpin]

"It may be true that there were German folk tales that shared some feathures with Rip's story, but Irving's story is quite original and definitely American in setting, characters, and concept."

Quite so - A comparison of a German original and Rip van Winkle might help to show the features of the latter which make it an example of American literature.

[PeterL]

"It may be true that there were German folk tales that shared some feathures with Rip's story, but Irving's story is quite original and definitely American in setting, characters, and concept."

Quite so - A comparison of a German original and Rip van Winkle might help to show the features of the latter which make it an example of American literature.

The idea that soomeone will sleep fora long time after eating and/or drinking with some magical folk is pretty common. If that is the feature that is said to have been borrowed, then the borrowing is of no consequence. But it would be nice to know what he is supposed to gave borrowed.

[Nick Rubashov]

I have this great little book called "American Fairy Tales: From Rip Van Winkle to The Rootabaga Stories." The collection is composed by Neil Philip and illustrated by Michael McCurdy. In the preface, Alison Lurie, professor of American Literature at Cornell University explains that


The idea of an "American fairy tale" may arouse disbelief. Fairy tales, for the most of us, are the European ones we read as children, the same ones that our children are reading now: "Snow White, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Jack and the Beanstalk." In the last century it was even suggested that America didn't need fairy tales. Instead of imaginary wonders we had the natural wonders of a new continent: Indians and wild animals instead of sprites and dragons; Niagara Falls and the Rockies instead of enchanted lakes and mountains.

However, Americans were writing fairy tales -- though, like the European ones, they seldom contained actual fairies. Sometimes these tales featured old-fashioned props and characters: magic potions and spells, dwarves and witches, princes and princesses. But often they also included contemporary objects and figures: hotels and telephones, mayors and gold minters. And even from the beginning many of the best American stories had a different underlying message than the ones from across the Atlantic.

The standard European fairy tale takes place in a fixed social world. In the usual plot a poor boy or girl, through some combination of luck, courage, beauty, kindness, and supernatural help, becomes rich or marries into royalty. In a variation, a prince or princess who has fallen under an evil enchantment, or been cast out by a cruel relative, regains his or her rightful position. In both types of story the social system is unquestioned and remains unchanged. What the characters hope for is to succeed within the terms of this system.

What makes American fairy tales unique is that in the most interesting of them this does not happen. Instead, the world within the story alters or is abandoned. Rip Van Winkle falls into a twenty-year sleep and wakes to find that a British colony has become a new nation un which "the very character of the people seemed changed." A hundred years later, the family in Carl Sandburg's story repeats the experience of many nineteenth-century immigrants and Western settlers. They sell all their possessions and rise to "where the railroad tracks run off into the sky" -- to Rootabaga Country, which is not a fairy kingdom but rich farming country named after a large turnip.

In American fairy tales, even if the world does not change, its values are often implicitly criticized. The traditional European tales, though full of wicked stepmothers and cruel kings and queens, seldom attack the institutions of marriage or monarchy. They assume that what the heroine or hero wants is to become rich and marry well -- if possible, into royalty.

Although a few American tales follow this convention, many do not. The guest who visit "The Rich Man's Place," in Horace Scudder's story, enjoy the palatial house and grounds but don't express a desire to live there. In Frank Stockton's "the Bee-man of Orn," a Junior Sorcerer discovers that an old beekeepers has been "transformed" from his original shape, and sets out to dissolve the enchantment. But as it turns out, the Bee-man's original shape (like everyone's) was that of a baby. Although the Junior Sorcerer restores him to infancy, when he grows up he does not become a prince, but a beekeeper again -- and, as before, his is perfectly contented.

In American fairy tales, there is often not much to be said for wealth and high position, or even good looks. The witch in Hawthorne's "Feathertop" turns a scarecrow into a fine gentleman and sends him out into the world, where he exposes the superficiality and snobbery of the well-to-do. In L. Fank Baum's "the Glass Dog," the poor glass-blower manages to marry a princess, but she "was very jealous of his beauty and led him a dog's life."

The implication of such stories is than an American does not need to become rich or "marry up" in order to be happy; in fact, one should avoid doing so if possible. Happiness is all around one already, as the boy in Laura Richards's "The Golden Windows" discovers: his farmhouse already has "windows of gold and diamond" when the setting sun shines on it. Today, when there is so much pressure on Americans to want fame, power, and expensive objects, to feel dissatisfied with themselves and their possessions, these American fairy tales still have something to tell us.

That's her entire preface. I hope it helps explain how fairy tales from American writers like Washington Irving have a distinct American flair. American fairy tales aren't based on becoming royalty or getting filthy rich, but rather enjoying the life nature has given us while condemning a rigid social structure.

[Yelena]

Thanks, for posting such an interesting article, Nick. Or should I say:"spasibo"?!

[Nick Rubashov]

Thanks, for posting such an interesting article, Nick. Or should I say:"spasibo"?!

haha it's my pleasure Yelena, I really enjoy all fairy tales in general and like talking about them. I think they're a great look on the beliefs and philosophies of the society they were written in. I would love to post the afterword of the collection, written by Neil Philip, it's an even better look on the American fairy tale. Unfortunately it's waaayy to long for me to type up.

[you_per7]

I don't think that I have read "The Devil and Tom Walker", but Rip Van Winkle" is distinctly Amercan, because it doesn't rely on non-American background or mythology, the setting, characters, and actions are completely American. It is also one of the neatest pieces of satire that I have ever read, but most people don't see the satire, because they aren't aware that there aren't any poor Van Winkles. The Van Winkles long ago started putting their money out at interest and "sleeping" for twenty years, while the money earned interest.

I don't think so. "Rip Van Winkle" has a Dutch background .if we analyze the title of the story which shares the name of the protagonist, we will easily realize its Dutch origin. In addition to this, the description of the buildings in the village as it seems from Catskill Mountains has the same Dutch form, even the bricks are brought from Holland. However, I read this story for years ago, and I think that the story has the following characteristics:
The Intimacy with wilderness.
Nostalgia for the past.
Individualism……