Skip to main content

An American Original



This biography of Washington Irving caught my eye.  It came out in 2008.  Judging from this short review by Walter Russell Mead, it covers a lot of Irving's political history.  Of course, Irving is known for his great literary contributions, which could make for a fun read.

Comments

  1. This book will be added to my wish list ....

    ReplyDelete
  2. This book looks fascinating. I can't commit but maybe the two of you could read it?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I certainly would be game to read this book. Irving has always fascinated me, and it sounds like a good biography.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I might have to pick this up.Looks good.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I ordered the book. At 3 pounds it was hard to pass up. Also ordered the first LoA collection of Irving's work, which includes his amusing history of New York,

    http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13042/13042-h/13042-h.htm

    ReplyDelete
  6. I got a note from the library - the book is in transit. Hopefully will arrive on Tuesday as this is when the Bookmobile stops directly in front of the building I live in.

    Looks like an excellent choice for a group discussion.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I bumped up the start date to Dec. 15 as I still haven't received my copy.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Trip, the book appears lost in the mail. It was supposed to have arrived on the 4th, but there remains no sign of it. I won't be able to get another copy before the New Year. So, if you are still game, we can discuss it in January.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ah - was wondering why the discussion hadn't started.

    I'll have to return the book to the library by then but I'll try to keep a few notes so I can make some additions to our exchange.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Surprise, surprise, the book turned up today. I want to wrap up The Brothers K first and then I will start in on Irving after Christmas. Can start the discussion on Jan. 1 if you like, Trip?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oops, hadn't noticed your reply. Jan 10 is a better starting date, esp since it's the Holidays and many are likely to be busy with year end activities.

      Delete
  11. I started the book, Trip. Can't say I'm overly enthralled with Jones' writing style. It's like a history book for grade school children. Curious to hear your impressions?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm also not enthralled with the book. Difficult to point out just exactly how the writer fails - interesting characters in the book but the author makes them look kinda dry or uninteresting. I'm up to p 300. Would have finished it by now except there has been a lot of late season sports online & on tv.

      Delete
  12. That's my impression too. Will persevere. I think it is best to discuss Washington Irving in general and not focus too much on the biography itself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe we could take up Irving's History of New York,

      http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13042/13042-h/13042-h.htm

      volume I anyway.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

O Pioneers!

It is hard not to think of Nebraska without thinking of its greatest writer.  Here is a marvelous piece by Capote, Remembering Willa Cather . I remember seeing a stage production of O Pioneers! and being deeply moved by its raw emotions.  I had read My Antonia before, and soon found myself hooked, like Capote was by the simple elegance of her prose and the way she was able to evoke so many feelings through her characters.  Much of it came from the fact that she had lived those experiences herself. Her father dragged the family from Virginia to Nebraska in 1883, when it was still a young state, settling in the town of Red Cloud. named after one of the great Oglala chiefs.  Red Cloud was still alive at the time, living on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, in the aftermath of the "Great Sioux Wars" of 1876-77.  I don't know whether Cather took any interest in the famous chief, although it is hard to imagine not.  Upon his death in 1909, he was eulogi

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

  Welcome to this month's reading group selection.  David Von Drehle mentions The Melting Pot , a play by Israel Zangwill, that premiered on Broadway in 1908.  At that time theater was accessible to a broad section of the public, not the exclusive domain it has become over the decades.  Zangwill carried a hopeful message that America was a place where old hatreds and prejudices were pointless, and that in this new country immigrants would find a more open society.  I suppose the reference was more an ironic one for Von Drehle, as he notes the racial and ethnic hatreds were on display everywhere, and at best Zangwill's play helped persons forget for a moment how deep these divides ran.  Nevertheless, "the melting pot" made its way into the American lexicon, even if New York could best be describing as a boiling cauldron in the early twentieth century. Triangle: The Fire That Changed America takes a broad view of events that led up the notorious fire, noting the gro

Colonel

Now with Colonel Roosevelt , the magnum opus is complete. And it deserves to stand as the definitive study of its restless, mutable, ever-boyish, erudite and tirelessly energetic subject. Mr. Morris has addressed the toughest and most frustrating part of Roosevelt’s life with the same care and precision that he brought to the two earlier installments. And if this story of a lifetime is his own life’s work, he has reason to be immensely proud.  -- Janet Maslin -- NY Times . Let the discussion begin!