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A review by calarco
The Sketch-Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent by Washington Irving
3.0
Growing up in the Hudson River Valley, it was impossible for Washington Irving to not play a role in my formative years. As a kid, I went on a 3rd grade field trip to Philipsburg Manor, the alleged site of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Needless to say, Halloween was pretty fun growing up; I felt special knowing I was so close to what I considered quintessential Hallows' Eve lore.
As an adult, I spent a summer season working as part of the curatorial staff for both the picturesque Washington Irving's Sunnyside (the author's estate) and the 18th century Dutch plantation Philipsburg Manor. Cleaning and carefully placing the historic objects of these old homes to craft visual narratives was a privilege; every workday felt like a journey into vibrant pasts I had romanticized as a child.
While I have read passages of Washington Irving's The Sketchbook throughout my life, this was my first time reading the entire book front to back. The short story collection includes iconic standouts like Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, both of which take place in the Hudson region. Being that Irving was one of the first American authors to gain international prominence, it (still) makes me happy that it was this part of New York that acted as such a prominent setting for his work.
Irving is also an objectively good author. His prose is thoughtful, and even tender at times. The man knows how to craft intricate imagery that breathes life into vivid scenes. Irving was also pretty funny, which puts his work apart from other American authors of the Romantic era. For instance, in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow after Ichabod Crane goes missing, Irving writes of his protagonist, "As he was a bachelor, and in nobody's debt, nobody troubled his head anymore about him" (317). Irving could be cute when he wanted.
The collection overall though, iconic stories aside, is more or less a thematic hodgepodge that largely exemplifies style over substance. This is especially true of his stories that take place in England, and most do. There is a reason they are not as popular as his New York ghost stories. The majority of these stories read like little slices of life or fictionalized historical snippets. Irving tries to ground these narratives in universal human sentiment(s), but I largely found them to be dull and lacking resonance.
This is mostly a mater of personal preference; I have all the nostalgia for the Hudson River Valley, but not much for Irving's version of Victorian England. That said, there is a lot that is great in the collection overall, and I would still recommend it. This book aside, I would wholeheartedly recommend visiting Sunnyside or Philisburg if you have the chance (though do note by bias); the staff is very passionate and would probably have good arguments to refute my criticisms.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
As an adult, I spent a summer season working as part of the curatorial staff for both the picturesque Washington Irving's Sunnyside (the author's estate) and the 18th century Dutch plantation Philipsburg Manor. Cleaning and carefully placing the historic objects of these old homes to craft visual narratives was a privilege; every workday felt like a journey into vibrant pasts I had romanticized as a child.
While I have read passages of Washington Irving's The Sketchbook throughout my life, this was my first time reading the entire book front to back. The short story collection includes iconic standouts like Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, both of which take place in the Hudson region. Being that Irving was one of the first American authors to gain international prominence, it (still) makes me happy that it was this part of New York that acted as such a prominent setting for his work.
Irving is also an objectively good author. His prose is thoughtful, and even tender at times. The man knows how to craft intricate imagery that breathes life into vivid scenes. Irving was also pretty funny, which puts his work apart from other American authors of the Romantic era. For instance, in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow after Ichabod Crane goes missing, Irving writes of his protagonist, "As he was a bachelor, and in nobody's debt, nobody troubled his head anymore about him" (317). Irving could be cute when he wanted.
The collection overall though, iconic stories aside, is more or less a thematic hodgepodge that largely exemplifies style over substance. This is especially true of his stories that take place in England, and most do. There is a reason they are not as popular as his New York ghost stories. The majority of these stories read like little slices of life or fictionalized historical snippets. Irving tries to ground these narratives in universal human sentiment(s), but I largely found them to be dull and lacking resonance.
This is mostly a mater of personal preference; I have all the nostalgia for the Hudson River Valley, but not much for Irving's version of Victorian England. That said, there is a lot that is great in the collection overall, and I would still recommend it. This book aside, I would wholeheartedly recommend visiting Sunnyside or Philisburg if you have the chance (though do note by bias); the staff is very passionate and would probably have good arguments to refute my criticisms.
Rating: 3.5 Stars