How Did Washington Irving Influence American Literature

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known as Mark Twain, wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1885. Mark Twain made a huge impact on American Literature, especially given the language he uses in his stories. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn “began its long, complicated history as America’s most controversial novel shortly after publication in 1885” (Pinsker 643).

Throughout history, early American authors, such as Jonathan Edwards, Thomas Jefferson, and Olaudah Equiano, convey how they view human nature in their pieces of literature. Although these early American authors are different people, they share similar views on human nature, through their use of rhetorical strategies, such as figurative language, parallelism, and connotative diction, to show different perspectives of human nature.

George Washington had early influences as a child. His childhood wasn’t easy, he lost his mother when he was eleven years, then his father later on. The loss of his father made education harder. His education ended when he was 15 years old. So, he became a surveyor, he

As the new world struggled to gain impendence from its mother country, Britain, native authors also try to develop their own style of writings. It quickly became evident that the search for a native literature became a national obsession. Then with the triumph of American independence, many at the time saw this as a divine sign that America and her people were destined for greatness. Greatness came with a strong nation and thousands of poems and stories that still shape our nation. The recent revolution greatly expressed the heart of the American people. However, it would take another fifty years of development throughout American before it produced the first great generation of American writers such as, Washington Irving, Ralph

Growing up he was a good student, especially in math. While he was still in school he learned how to be a surveyor. His father died while he was still in school. George Washington was having some trouble with schooling abroad after he found out his father had died. Before being elected President he held different jobs.

George Washington towered over men with decorum. Men followed him, not out of fear but out of respect and admiration. Washington was not a loquacious orator, but his silence spoke volumes. When he spoke, briefly but authoritatively, others listened. They knew he meant what he said because of his code of honor both on and off the battlefield.

Although this was a blow to his ego, it resulted in his development of leadership skills amongst his men. “Washington drilled his rough and often unsoldierly recruits, stationed them at Frontier posts, settled disputes, struggled to maintain order and discipline, labored to procure supplies and to get them transported, strove to have his men paid promptly and provided with shelter and medical care, sought support from the Virginia government, and kept it informed” (Nettels, Cornell University). The practice of training and providing for his soldiers while keeping them orderly and effective was a skill that would be of the utmost importance while commanding America’s first standing army. In addition to this, he also became politically active and began gaining governmental funds and support for his soldiers during the French and Indian war. His political savviness allowed him to later sway the continental Congress into supporting the continental army in a variety of ways.

What truly is the new America voice of literature? How many real authors out there can even compare to the likes of Edgar Allen Poe, or William Falkner? In a highly re-defined country such as the United States, where education is a big part of our lifestyles, you’d expect a plethora of new age authors to appear from each and every corner. However, our system does not run like that. These days, most literature is based off of cheesy storylines, with no real educational value. Works such as Twilight, Harry Potter, and many more are what have been infiltrating the minds of many young readers alike. There are several hidden gems though,

resemble the writings of other American and European authors yet is well known in the literary

Mark Twain is important to American literature because of his novels and how they portray the American experience. Some of his best selling novels were Innocents Abroad, Life on the Mississippi, Huckleberry Finn, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. In these books, Mark Twain recalls his own adventures of steamboating on the Mississippi River.

Washington Irving was the first American author to find success both in Europe and in America and was considered the father of American literature because of his writing which helped shape American literature. Known for his works which were inspired by German folklore which was introduced to him by Sir Walter Scott, some of Irving's works included a facet of the supernatural. A couple of his most well-known publications which depicts this are "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "The Devil and Tom Walker".

Two great writers who have impacted people the most today are Mark Twain, and Edgar Allen Poe. Also known as Samuel Langhorne Clemens, Mark

It seems as though every genre has a founding father figure who laid the starting blocks for other authors to build on. Looking at the genre of horror, one often wonders about the creative minds behind the grotesque and morbid details of the storylines. Edgar Allan Poe was the man who laid the starting blocks for horror that have influenced and inspired so many authors during and after his time. Edgar Allan Poe had a profound impact on American literature; he paved the way for a new type of horror story, created the genres of the modern detective story and science fiction, structured writing genres with his criticisms and influenced writers as well as other forms of entertainment we see today. Although he was a controversial figure with work

There is no question that Walt Whitman had the most significant influence on American literary history. Along with Emily Dickinson, Whitman represented the Romantic literature era of American literature. Whitman is known for his distinctive poetic forms and free verse. Whitman’s most popular work Leaves of Grass influenced many future writers that came after him to follow his writing style. The richness that Leaves of Grass left behind had such a huge impact on American writers of many different backgrounds and cultures. Whitman’s influence can be seen in the works of Ezra Pound, Langston Hughes, and Sharon Olds.

Irving did multiple travels to the “Old Continent”, maybe because of that it is said that his literature is Europeanized. But his most famous and