Washington Irving (Day 2)

Respond to one of the following questions by Tuesday, April 18 at 7:00 p.m. Make sure you use specific textual moments to explain your response.

1. Washington Irving took the popular travel sketch, which was “A prose
composition dedicated to expressing the rapture of an observer in the
presence of Old World treasures,” (226) and transformed that into his
own type of sketch, known as a “fictional sketch.” Irving’s new form
sketch was quickly adopted by writers such as Twain, Hawthorne, and
Melville. Why do you think this is so? What made these sketches so
popular during the 1800's? Do you think the sketches are effective?

2. In your opinion, why do you think "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" are popular children's stories? What elements do they contain that makes them
interesting and geared for children? Are they approriate stories?