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jazzy_daveWashington Irvine "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories "(Penguin Classics)
I picked up this book in a charity shop mainly for its most famous short story "The Legend pf Sleepy hollow" which has been turned into a wonderful film featuring Johnny Depp and directed by Tim Burton, as well as the excellent TV series of it.
Having read that,the other stories and essays could be read in any order, and hence, as a book that covers different subjects it is one that does need to be read continuously. The fact that i first read this paperback way back in July bears this out.
So while most readers will be familiar with "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and perhaps "Rip Van Winkle", the various less known works collected here are fascinating in the portraits they produce of life in England (Irving's residence at the time of writing and publication). In particular, the Christmas sketches clearly influenced Dickens's own Christmas tales. One of my favourites, which should also be of interest to others, is "The Mutability of Literature" in which Mr. Irving visits the library at Westminster Abbey, is dismayed the books seem to be solely collected but not read and is then startled when he takes on old tome off the shelf, opens it, and it coughs and begins talking to him. The book seems unwilling to believe that it is no longer popular, as it was well-liked in its time (hundreds of years ago). It's a very interesting way of making the point that tastes in literature change as the years, and centuries, go by. All in all, there are very few sketches that disappointed me, most provided at least some entertainment or interesting ideas, which, according to the appendixes Irving added to his editions, was his intent.
I picked up this book in a charity shop mainly for its most famous short story "The Legend pf Sleepy hollow" which has been turned into a wonderful film featuring Johnny Depp and directed by Tim Burton, as well as the excellent TV series of it.
Having read that,the other stories and essays could be read in any order, and hence, as a book that covers different subjects it is one that does need to be read continuously. The fact that i first read this paperback way back in July bears this out.
So while most readers will be familiar with "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and perhaps "Rip Van Winkle", the various less known works collected here are fascinating in the portraits they produce of life in England (Irving's residence at the time of writing and publication). In particular, the Christmas sketches clearly influenced Dickens's own Christmas tales. One of my favourites, which should also be of interest to others, is "The Mutability of Literature" in which Mr. Irving visits the library at Westminster Abbey, is dismayed the books seem to be solely collected but not read and is then startled when he takes on old tome off the shelf, opens it, and it coughs and begins talking to him. The book seems unwilling to believe that it is no longer popular, as it was well-liked in its time (hundreds of years ago). It's a very interesting way of making the point that tastes in literature change as the years, and centuries, go by. All in all, there are very few sketches that disappointed me, most provided at least some entertainment or interesting ideas, which, according to the appendixes Irving added to his editions, was his intent.
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