Written in 1819 and set in the years both before and after the American Revolutionary War, the character of the story's title is a fun-loving, work-avoiding man. One day, trying to skirt his wife's nagging as well as chores, Rip wanders off to the countryside. He lies down to take a nap, and to his astonishment, awakens twenty years later. Be sure you understand Rip both before and after his long sleep by taking the quiz over his character in the classic short story "Rip Van Winklqe" by Washington Irving from eNotes.