Rip Van Winckle

Rip Van Winkle

The author is Washington Irving, who was born in 1783 & died in 1859.

America was different from Great Britain at that time because it was a new country, a new land where everything was starting.

There was a progress westward (toward the west). America was still a colony & here, the author deals with the eastern part.

Structure of the passage

Enunciation : whose voice ?

In fiction, we have the author & a narrator (who can be invented, the author make up a voice).

External narrator : omniscient & ubiquitous (it can be wherever you want).

It invites us to enter into the story by the using of « Whoever ».

Type of text :

Fiction :

Short story

Novel

The main difference is that it takes a few days to read a novel while it only takes one day for a short story.

We can read them without any interruption.

The author was influenced by folklore, legends and archives !

History and fiction are different :

History : Record of facts (characters have existed for real,…etc.)

Fiction : Only creative, imaginary (characters are invented,…etc.)

Rip Van Winkle is a fiction but there are many references to historical events. There’s a mix between real facts and invented characters / situations. Therefore, we can say it’s a blending / a mix.

Historical facts :

The location of the Catskill Mountains (geography) : there’s a real environment.

« Province », at that time : still a province of the UK (before America got independence, before 1776).

There’s a retrospective look back on the past before birth of the narrator.

Peter Stuyvesant, one of the founders of a city : New York (New Amsterdam), it was founded by that Dutch. He’s a historical character !

Invention :

Rip Van Winkle (eponymous) : the name of the character is used for the title of the short story. It’s an eponymous tale !

We can see the lineage, the present character through filiation (it’s not going to be limited in time because we focus on a large / wide period of time). Time is going to be crucial.

Analysis

l.1-9 : Descriptive passage, it looks like what we have in a guidebook.

Dutch settlers : Peter,…etc.

We have a description in the second paragraph.

l.10-30 : The focus moves from geography to a particular village and a character through a lineage / genealogy.

Rip is the descendant of the first Dutch colonists.

There’s a general introduction of the character too ! We notice he’s popular with children and among ladies because he’s helpful,…etc). We also know his pastimes : hunting squirrels.

He also has children : « ragged children », which means that their clothes were torn ! Here, we understand that Rip isn’t able to provide for the needs (family’s one) !

l.31-43 : We also know Rip is lazy : his wife is always nagging at him, she’s blaming him for not working enough,…etc.

She’s shown as a shrew (give orders,…).

Therefore, the husband is a henpecked husband. He would to be hungry than to work (sentence underlined).

Here, we have a description of their matrimonial life.

l.44-62 : Instead of arguing, he goes away ! He’s not conflicting at all.

He reads news to other men of the village.

l.63-67 : Rip and his dog are considered as nothing / as lazy. They have a friendly feeling and go away in a mountain together.

A single event after the general way of life described above : When he went for a walk, he hears a voice coming from outside / carrying by the wind. Rip can identify some words. He starts doubting about whether the voice is real or unreal / imaginary.

Then, someone appears (with old fashioned clothes), he seems to belong to another period.

There is a group of people who are like statues. They’re playing at skittles / ninepines.

l.97-115 : Reference to Flemish paintors.

Rip’s lost, there’s something to drink given by the man he met. He thinks that everything may be a hallucination. Then, he fall asleep.

l.115-138 : What happened after his waking.

20 years went by wile he was asleep. He’s worried about his wife and what she’s going to think about him.

He’s utterly terrified at her.

He’s not flexible as before (he thinks he hurt himself while he was drunk), he has a long beard too and his weapon his covered by rust.

Back in village : he doesn’t recognize anymore (there are more people, fashion has changed,…etc.).

He’s also bewildered, he starts doubting his perception too, whether he’s bewitched or not (that someone put a spell on him or not). Maybe he’s under spell because he’s controlled by supernatural powers. Maybe the drink has addled his brain. His house is more damaged. He’s from now on a free man (because there’s no shrew anymore).

l.155-182 : All the places that used to be familiar to him, are now changed beyond recognition (unknown to him).

There’s now a red cap at the top of a pole.

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