Washington Irving's Use of European Folklore in His Stories
This paper examines how Washington Irving drew on European — particularly German and Dutch — folklore to craft his most celebrated works, including "Rip Van Winkle," "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," and "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent." The essay traces the specific folktales that inspired Irving, most notably "Peter Klaus the Goatherd" by J.C.C. Nachtigal and the headless horseman legend attributed to Karl Musäus, and compares them with Irving's adaptations. It also argues that Irving transformed these borrowed materials into distinctly American allegories, particularly regarding the Revolutionary War era, while crediting him as a legitimate literary author rather than a mere imitator.
- Introduction: Irving's European Influences: Irving's biography and European literary roots
- The Sketch Book and Its Origins: Overview of The Sketch Book and its content
- Rip Van Winkle and Peter Klaus the Goatherd: Comparing Rip Van Winkle to its German source
- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and German Folklore: Headless horseman traced to Karl Musäus
- Comparing the Originals with Irving's Adaptations: Key similarities and differences across works
- Conclusion: Irving's Literary Legacy: Defending Irving's originality despite borrowed sources
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- It grounds its claims in specific source comparisons — the Peter Klaus folktale versus "Rip Van Winkle" — rather than making vague assertions about influence.
- The allegorical reading of "Rip Van Winkle" as a commentary on the American Revolution adds an interpretive layer that elevates the essay beyond simple plot summary.
- The conclusion fairly acknowledges the limits of the borrowing argument and defends Irving's originality, demonstrating balanced critical thinking.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates source-to-adaptation comparison, a core technique in literary influence studies. By identifying plot elements shared between Irving's stories and their European precursors — sleep/disappearance duration, societal change upon return, the headless horseman motif — and then noting meaningful differences in character development and thematic emphasis, the author shows how to distinguish influence from imitation.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens with Irving's biography to establish his European exposure, then introduces The Sketch Book as the frame containing his most famous stories. It proceeds through "Rip Van Winkle" and its German source, then "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and its folklore basis. A comparative section synthesizes the similarities and differences before the conclusion defends Irving's authorial integrity. The structure follows a logical claim-evidence-analysis pattern across each work.
Introduction: Irving's European Influences
Washington Irving was born in the year that America became officially recognized by England as an independent country. He spent much of his life in Europe, so it is not surprising that some of his greatest literary work should imitate the people and cultures of the continent. Even so, much of his work also reflected his love for New York as well as the changing political and social era into which he was born. Irving's greatest and most memorable works include "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," "Rip Van Winkle," and The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. Though they are revered as American classics, they owe much of their storylines to European folklore and personas.
The Sketch Book and Its Origins
The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent established Irving as a respectable author both in the United States and in Europe. Published as the charming account of an Englishman's love for the English landscape and countryside, the book also reveals an anxiety about being dispossessed of home and security; the surface is famously genial and sentimental (Rubin-Dorsky 32–64). The book itself consists of 34 literary sketches: four are about America, while the rest draw from Irving's own experiences and observations in England.
It was in this book that the stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle" appeared. Though they took place in America and drew from events in American history — as in the case of "Rip Van Winkle" — the stories were actually more closely related to two German folktales that Irving had no doubt encountered during his travels in Europe.
Bibliography
Rubin-Dorsky, J. Adrift in the Old World: The Psychological Pilgrimage of Washington Irving. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988.
Washington Irving: Biography. Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999. www.bedfordstmartins.com/litlinks/fiction/irving.htm
Irving, W. "The Inn Kitchen." The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. www.literatureproject.com/sketchbook/index.htm
Create your account
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.