Video: "Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"

The Great American Novel Series

National Association of Scholars

"From the listless repose of the place, and the peculiar character of its inhabitants, who are descendants from the original Dutch settlers, this sequestered glen has long been known by name of Sleepy Hollow ... A drowsy, dreamy influence seems to hang over the land, and to pervade the very atmosphere." - Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

In The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and its companion story, Rip Van Winkle, Washington Irving explores themes of progress and tradition, the supernatural and its influence, and the place of the outsider in insular communities.

What makes Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow great American stories? How have they informed or been informed by American folklore? Who influenced Irving's writings, and who did his writings influence?

On August 10th, NAS hosted this webinar event to discuss Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  The webinar features Mark Bauerlein, Professor of English at Emory University and Senior Editor at First Things; and Brian Jay Jones, New York Times bestselling biographer and author of Washington Irving: An American Original, the definitive biography of Irving.


By John Quidor - aQHCpcwsbaMXQA at Google Cultural Institute maximum zoom level, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22126482

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