Romanticism Assignment 1: Response to Rip van Winkle

Rip van winkle was an interesting story. I actually liked the illustrations a lot, they added considerably to the story, though I assume these weren't in the original text. I had heard another version of this before, but it had focused more on the dwarves teaching Van Winkle a lesson about virtues of dilligence and hazards of lazyness. This seems to be less of the intent in Irving's version, which I generally like better. The morals are left somewhat open ended, leaving the reader to decide for themselves. While somewhat lazy and a procrastinator, Van winkle is still arguably praiseworthy in his own way. He is helpful to his neighbors benevolent in general, trying to live in a simple and contented manner. However he seems incapable of managing his own obligations, embodied by his nagging wife; he finds this continually dripping stream of minor affairs exasperating.

The story describes nature vividly. Wandering in the hills is Van Winkles outlet for his frusturations. The writing style is much more detailed about surroundings than in Puritansim or Rationalism. This in my opinion makes it more interesting to read. Descriptions of things such as the old inn keeper smoking his pipe and or the sun setting over the foothills have an air of earthy familiarity. His long sleep in the woods is reflective of the feeling of simple contentedness that he found in his frequent walks in them. His slumber is looked on almost as more pleasantly beneficial than disastorous, he wakes released from his nagging wife and previous petty obligations.