An Autobiographical View Of Washington Irving Essay

, Research Paper

An Autobiographical View of Washington Irving

Today I am regarded as one of the first writers to represent an English style of writing throughout the world to gain universal recognition. For fifty years I charmed and instructed the American people and held first place in their affections. I became the first writer to lift American literature into the popular respect of Europe and was regarded as the chief representative of the American name in the world of letters. How did my life come to mean so much. Throughout my childhood my dreams of travelling spurred my interest for writing and noting down my subjective view of the world. This satirical and humorous point a view caught the attention of America and Europe and my works began to be released in other languages in order to be universally understood. My writing has always been influenced by my voyages throughout Spain, France, England, and Italy. My literature also showed a better portrayal of America for Englishmen to better understand its possibilities. At times I may have struggled to find my true passion in life, and at times America might have been insincere to accept my writing, but in the end my literature left and indelible impression on the world today.

My life started on April 3, 1783 in the city of New York (Trent 245). I was born into a family of eight older brothers and I was the youngest of eleven children (245). Although my family was large it had been one of the most respectable names in Scotland (246). My parents then left their good origin to begin a life in America in humble circumstances (Warner and Irving 21). I will never forget how my parent s situation influenced how I was brought up. My father endeavored to bring us up in sound religious principles, and left no room in our lives for triviality (22). This cold and severe discipline would have been intolerable to an average family (22). As I reflect upon my childhood years I remember my father s futile struggle to awaken religious sensibility in us (23-24). I revolted from his teachings that seemed to regard everything that was pleasant as evil (24). My mother was one to stand opposite of father s discipline and was more gentle, intelligent, and loving towards the rest of her children (24). My brothers and sisters were detracted from religion by my father s strict preaching; subsequently all of them became detached from the Episcopal Church as adults (24).

As a young boy I was filled with curiosity and mischief, everything my father had tried to suppress (Warner and Irving 23). I finished school by the age of sixteen and then seemingly never found literature or study interesting (Trent 246). I found a passion in dreaming about the wonders of travel and the secrets of the world. I used to wander about the pier and watch the ships departing on long voyages, and dream of going to the ends of the earth (Warner and Irving 23). At seventeen my life was without a distinct direction. I dispassionately studied law for some time until I had found writing as a source of alternate escape (Roth 17). In 1802 I began submitting a series of letters to the Morning Chronicle which had become my first literary publications under the pseudonym of Jonathon Oldstyle (Warner and Washington 30). This publication foreshadowed the sensibility and quiet humor in my writing (30). Growing up had become difficult for me in part because of my poor health, at a young age I began suffering from a pulmonary disease (30). In my childhood, however, dreams of travel and curiosity of the world had been most important (26).

At the age of nineteen my health started to deteriorate even more so and my brothers became determined to send me to Europe to explore the world (Trent 247). My brothers anxiety over my health proved to me how impaired and delicate I had become as I came of age (Warner and Irving 31). Exploring the world had begun to satisfy my curiosity and my health began to improve (31). I traveled all over Europe exploring Bordeaux, Genoa, Florence, Rome, and Naples (31-42). During these voyages I had developed a close friendship with the families and local peoples of the regions (31-42). The charm of my manner and my ingenious nature seemed to make me a favorite friend of many around Europe (35). I made many valuable friends. The voyages of Europe were also a time of personal enjoyment (Trent 248). I came to know the worlds of music and painting in Italy and was fascinated by the French cities that had rapidly begun to beautify under their emperor, Napoleon (Warner and Irving 31-42). I frequently voyaged to the theatre and indulged my passion for the opera (31-42). I was also learning new languages and about the world itself.

The entire European journey was a journey of enlightenment and realization of the world for me (Warner and Irving 31-42). Through my curiosity of travel I was open to the adversity and rough conditions of poverty that became evident under the initial luxury of both France and Italy (31-42). God knows my mind never suffered so much as on this journey when I saw such scenes of want and misery continually before me, without the power of effectually relieving them (34). In one instance in Sicily just realizing the conditions of life became unbearable (34). I developed a personal saying that will always keep me from repelling the standards of these people, when I cannot get a dinner to suit my taste, I endeav