Biography of Washington Irving
Biography of Washington Irving
“Washington’s work is ended,” said Mrs. Irving, “and the child shall be named after him.” And so, Washington Irving, the last of eleven children, was born on William Street in New York City on April 3, 1783, to a prosperous merchant family headed by William and Sarah Irving. He lived in a town of about 25,000, from which he drew much of the material for his stories and sketches. He spent his childhood days wandering the town and listening to the Dutch descendents as well as reading a great deal in his father’s large library. He was always cheerful, kind and sweet natured though a great part of his life was a struggle against ill health, grief, and work that he did not like. (Compton’s)
Washington Irving’s on-and-off schooling ended at the age of sixteen mainly due to his state of health. In 1798, he thoroughly explored the pleasant region of Sleepy Hollow, to be forever remembered in his later work, Sketch Book. In 1800, he took an extended trip up the Hudson and into the Mohawk Valley. In 1802, he began publishing a series of letters signed under the pseudonym Jonathan Oldstyle, in the Morning Chronicle, a paper just established by his elder brother. After leaving school, he began the study of law, but in 1804, he was sent abroad by his brothers, who were anxious over the condition of his health. On his first year and a half visit, he touched the Mediterranean ports and enjoyed the experience of a real capture by pirates. He remained four months in each of Paris and London. This experience was in every way broadening and educational and in 1806, with his health well regained, Irving returned to America. (http://r1.dogpile.com/texis/redir/main/bin?q=washington+irving&u=www.bibliomania.com/reference/simonds/SHAL/p2-chap3.html&e=26)
A year later, Irving, his friend James K. Paulding, and his brother William Irving, joined together in the publication of a small journal entitled Salmagundi. This publication appeared anonymously, ran from January 1807 to January 1808, and included twenty entries. In this paper, Washington critiqued the theater. He would often go as far as to critique the theater company (actors included), the building, the audience, and the orchestra in the pettiest and most ill-natured way. These would not prove to be Irving’s best works, but were the starting point in his career...