Washington Irving
At a glance:
- Series: Dictionary of World Biography: The 19th Century
- Categories: Education, Literature, Publishing, Diplomacy, International Relations, Foreign Affairs
- Subcategories: Authors, Writers, Novelists, Short Story Writers
- Curriculum: American History 1816-1855, American Civil War & Reconstruction Era (1856-1877), American Early National History (1789-1815)
Article abstract: Washington Irving, America’s first international literary success, was responsible for making American letters respectable in the nineteenth century.
Early Life
Washington Irving was born into the large family of William Irving and Sarah Sanders Irving on April 3, 1783, in New York City. His father was a merchant of Scottish background and stern disposition. His mother, on the other hand, the granddaughter of an English curate, was gentle and kind. Although Irving’s father, a church deacon, tried to restrict his children from simple...
[The entire page is 2157 words long]
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