Washington Irving's Formative Years: Education and Early Career

Washington Irving (1783-1859), a prominent American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century, left an indelible mark on American literature and culture. Best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (1820), both featured in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., Irving's journey to literary acclaim was shaped by his unique educational background and early experiences.

Aversion to Formal Education

Born into a merchant family in Manhattan, Washington Irving's early education diverged from the conventional path. Unlike some of his brothers who pursued academic studies at Columbia College, Irving found formal education to be a "drudgery." At the age of fifteen, instead of attending college, he began an apprenticeship at the law office of Henry Masterton, alongside his brother John. This decision, likely influenced by his father, reflected Irving's disinterest in traditional schooling and his inclination towards more practical pursuits.

Early Travels and Exposure to Culture

Irving's formative years were marked by travels that broadened his horizons and fueled his imagination. In 1800, he embarked on his first voyage up the Hudson River, venturing into the frontier of New York State at Johnstown to visit his sisters, Ann and Catherine. He later wrote, “To me the Hudson is full of storied associations, connected as it is with some of the happiest portions of my life.” These early encounters with the landscapes and stories of the Hudson River Valley instilled in him a deep appreciation for the region's history and folklore.

"The Kaatskill Mountains had the most witching effect on my boyish imagination," Irving recalled. His subsequent trips to Johnstown were often marred by fatigue and illness, leading him to seek respite at Ballston Spas.

Law Career and Social Circle

While apprenticing in law, Irving's career path led him to the office of Josiah Ogden Hoffman. He was embraced by the Hoffman family, and his social circle expanded significantly. He traveled with the family, including a trip to Canada.

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Upon his return from his adventures upstate, Irving’s health still flagged and his brother, William, Jr. decided it was best to send Washington abroad to take in the sights and antiquities of Europe, as a remedy. Irving left in May of 1804, and visited sights in France, Italy, Greece, Malta, Sicily, and England, returning in March of 1806. Upon the return to New York, Washington Irving’s social circle was much expanded due to his employer Hoffman, and those he met along his European travels, such as Gouverneur Kemble, and his older friend from childhood, James Kirke Paulding.

Literary Beginnings: Jonathan Oldstyle and Salmagundi

Irving's literary career began with a series of satirical essays published in his brother Peter Irving's newspaper, the Morning Chronicle, in 1802-03. Writing under the pseudonym Jonathan Oldstyle, Gent., he offered whimsical observations on New York society and culture. These early writings foreshadowed his later success as a satirist and humorist.

On November 21st, 1806 Washington Irving was admitted to the bar and joined his brother John’s law office on Wall Street and still spends much of his time with the Hoffman family. January 24th, 1807 saw the first edition of Salmagundi and it was an immediate success. The identity of those three mysterious writers became the subject of much wonderment and curiosity. They had such bravado to criticize and satirize the society of New York! The “Good-natured villainy” and the “merry mischief” of the subsequent editions at the hands of the authors only continued to gain traction, so much traction that the authors were suddenly aware of the financial implications for themselves from their successful writings.

Personal Loss and A History of New York

But, while Irving was finding success with his humorous writings, he was down and out as a lawyer. Instead of practicing seriously, he traveled to Baltimore, Philadelphia, and eventually Virginia; the latter location being chosen because he had been retained to attend the trial of Colonel Aaron Burr. A short time after Irving’s return to New York, his father would die after years of illness, and then into the next year, Salmagundi would come to its own abrupt demise. Not long after those deaths, his sister in Johnstown grew ill and passed away suddenly, while Irving was on a trip to Montreal. “I had the shock of reading an account of my dear sister’s death, and never was a blow struck so near my heart before. Five years have nearly elapsed since I have seen her, and though such an absence might lessen the pang of eternal separation, still it is dreadfully severe. One more heart lies still and cold that ever beat towards me with the warmest affection, for she wa sthe tenderest, best of sisters, and a woman of whom a brother might be proud. To-morrow morning early I set off for Johnstown. Letter from Washington Irving to Mrs. Or Go forth to Part 3!

Irving's personal life took a tragic turn with the sudden death of Matilda Hoffman, his fiancée, in April 1809. Grief-stricken, he found solace in writing, completing his first major book, A History of New York…by Diedrich Knickerbocker (1809). This comic history of the Dutch regime in New York, prefaced by a mock-pedantic account of the world from creation onward, established Irving as a prominent literary figure.

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Transition and War of 1812

In 1811 he moved to Washington, D.C., as a lobbyist for the Irving brothers’ hardware-importing firm, but his life seemed aimless for some years. He prepared an American edition of Thomas Campbell’s poems, edited the Analectic Magazine, and acquired a staff colonelcy during the War of 1812.

Literary Breakthough and The Sketch Book

In 1815 Irving went to Liverpool to look after the interests of his brothers’ firm. In London he met Sir Walter Scott, who encouraged him to renewed effort. The result was The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent (1819-20), a collection of stories and essays that mix satire and whimsicality with fact and fiction. Most of the book’s 30-odd pieces concern Irving’s impressions of England, but six chapters deal with American subjects. Of these, the tales “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle” have been called the first American short stories. They are both Americanized versions of German folktales. The main character of “Rip Van Winkle” is a henpecked husband who sleeps for 20 years and awakes as an old man to find his wife dead, his daughter happily married, and America now an independent country. The tremendous success of The Sketch Book in both England and the United States assured Irving that he could live by his pen.

Continued Success and Later Works

In 1822 he produced Bracebridge Hall, a sequel to The Sketch Book. He traveled in Germany, Austria, France, Spain, the British Isles, and later in his own country. Early in 1826 he accepted the invitation of Alexander H. Everett to attach himself to the American legation in Spain, where he wrote his Columbus (1828), followed by The Companions of Columbus (1831). Meanwhile, Irving had become absorbed in the legends of the Moorish past and wrote A Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada (1829) and The Alhambra (1832), a Spanish counterpart of The Sketch Book.

Return to America and Later Life

After a 17-year absence Irving returned to New York in 1832, where he was warmly received. He made a journey west and produced in rapid succession A Tour of the Prairies (1835), Astoria (1836), and The Adventures of Captain Bonneville (1837). What do Halloween, Christmas, and Columbus Day have in common? These national holidays share the wit and creative imagination of America’s first full-time professional author, Washington Irving (1783-1859), who had a major role in their popularization.