Beginning of Essay
Washington Irving was a American writer, the first American author to achieve international fame, who created the fictional characters Rip Van Winkle and Ichabod Crane. The strict acceptance and standing popularity of Irving's tales involving these characters pro ....

Middle of Essay
.... together they wrote "Salmagundi", or, the "Whim-Whams and Opinions of Launcelot Langstaff", and others, a series of essays and poems on New York society. Irving's contributions to this thing established his reputation as an essayist and wit, and this reputation was enhanced by his next work, "A History of New York " (1809), evidently written by Irving's famous comic creation, the Dutch-American scholar Diedrich Knickerbocker. The work is a account of New York State during the period of Dutch occupation which was from (1609-1664). Irving's mocking tone and funny descriptions of early American life offset the nationalism in much American writing of ....