SECTION 2: PASSAGE IDENTIFICATION - Washington Irving, "Rip Van Winkle"

Question 1

main characters

Answer 1

• Rip Van Winkle
• Dame Van Winkle (wife)
  
  • conflict between her and him
• Rip’s dog, Wolf

Question 2

general plot

Answer 2

• Rip Van Winkle lives in a village in the mountains
  
  • lots of NATURE descriptions (reflects ROMANTICISM’S FOCUS ON NATURE)
• beginning
  
  • BEFORE the American Revolution, Great Britain still in control of America
• Rip’s LAZINESS
  
  • doesn’t want to do work
• falls into a deep sleep
• wakes up
  
  • bright, sunny morning
• returns to the village, but years have passed
  
  • after the American Revolution
  • 20 years later
  • many stuff have changed, but some stuff hasn’t

Question 3

important themes

Answer 3

• GENDER - Rip Van Winkle’s relationship with his wife
  
  • wife = symbol for England
  • left alone –> without OVERBEARING PRESENCE of wife and England
• nature - as an IMPORTANT ASPECT of America
• CHANGE and LACK THEREOF over time (following the American Revolution)
  
  • initially like everything has changed, but still a continuation of before

Question 4

stylistic traits

Answer 4

• framing of story –> frame narrative, that Washington Irving has FOUND A MANUSCRIPT of the story, “found” text with editorial note
  
  • short story pretending to be a folk tale –> “Founding Story” of the American nation
  • NOT LITERAL TRUTH but some kind of truth about the past

Question 5

literary movement

Answer 5

romanticism