Washington Irving: A Biography
American writer Washington Irving, best known for “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” was an essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat.
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Washington Irving Timeline
Washington Irving’s place in history This timeline documents major events and influences on Washington Irving’s life and work. It begins by outlining the events and publications in Irving’s life, then looks at American literature, visual...
![Major Andres Tree by Arthur Rackham (1867-1939) (from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow) (New York Public Library Digital Collections) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://i0.wp.com/www.excellence-in-literature.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Major_Andres_Tree_Rackham-sm-1.jpg?resize=256%2C245&ssl=1)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow A short story by Washington Irving Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is the story of the ill-fated 1790 courtship of Katrina Van Tassel, daughter of a wealthy...
The Village Blacksmith by Longfellow
THE VILLAGE BLACKSMITH by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Under a spreading chestnut-tree The village smithy stands; The smith, a mighty man is he, With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms...
Fitzgerald Collection at USC
The F. Scott Fitzgerald Collection at the University of South Carolina A fascinating F. Scott Fitzgerald Collection of documents has been made available online. According to the library’s description, “This F. Scott Fitzgerald Centenary website was launched...
The Courtship of Miles Standish by Longfellow
The Courtship of Miles Standish by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow This narrative poem written in 1858 by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow tells a charming tale of a courtship during the early days of Plymouth...
James Fenimore Cooper Resources
James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) Cooper is considered the first fully American novelist – someone who achieved literary success writing about American issues, characters, and settings. He was influenced in his writing by the adventure novels...
Edgar Allan Poe Resources
Many writers in the American canon have written both poetry and prose; few, however, are equally known for both. Edgar Allan Poe was one such writer. Indeed, it is almost as difficult to find...
Dickinson and Copland: Poems and Music
Composer Aaron Copeland’s Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson provides a creative musical approach to Emily Dickinson that may help you hear her poems anew. This composition by Aaron Copeland was performed for the recital “For...
Washington Irving Biography
Washington Irving Biography Irving’s family Boyhood European travels Rising fame Love and poverty Tragedy, memorialized Literature as a profession Home at Sunnyside Minister to Spain Personal appearance and character End of life Sources Other...
How to Write a Compare-Contrast Essay
What is a compare-contrast essay? Have you encountered an essay prompt that directs you to compare or contrast two elements (e.g., two characters in a story, two different political theories, two different religious doctrines...
Old Ironsides by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr
OLD IRONSIDES by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr This was the popular name by which the frigate Constitution was known. The poem was first printed in the Boston Daily Advertiser, at the time when it...
Evangeline Part One by Longfellow
Evangeline, Part One A Tale of Acadie by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow This story poem is based on the story of the Acadians’ expulsion from their homeland. The Maine Historical Society provides a helpful summary of...
Overview – Outline of American Literature Index
As a context resource for the American Literature study guide (English 3 from the Excellence in Literature curriculum) we offer these chapters from the Outline of American Literature, a public-domain American Literature textbook published by...
Poetry by Mark Twain
Mark Twain Poetry Although Mark Twain was best known for being a satirist and a humorously creative author, he also wrote a few poems. We have referenced these six in our curriculum, including in...
Poetry by Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman Poetry Walt Whitman (1819 – 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works....
Poetry by Emily Dickinson
Poems by Emily Dickinson Here is an index to the pages for the Emily Dickinson poems referenced in American Literature (EIL3), plus a few additional favorites. “The Soul selects her own Society” “There is...
Modernism and Experimentation: 1914-1945 — Outline of American Literature Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Outline of American Literature Modernism and Experimentation: 1914-1945 Historians characterize this period as U.S.’ traumatic “coming of age.” By Kathryn VanSpanckeren Introduction & Overview Modernism Poetry 1914-1945: Experiments in Form: Ezra Pound, T.S....
The Rise of Realism: 1860-1914: Outline of American Literature Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Outline of American Literature by Kathryn VanSpanckeren The Rise of Realism: 1860-1914 This chapter features a brief overview of the realist movement, and brief biographies of writers such as Mark Twain, Edith...
In the Churchyard at Tarrytown by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
In the Churchyard at Tarrytown [written to honor Washington Irving at the time of his death] by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Here lies the gentle humorist, who died In the bright Indian Summer of his...
A Psalm of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A PSALM OF LIFE WHAT THE HEART OF THE YOUNG MAN SAID TO THE PSALMIST by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Tell me not, in mournful numbers, Life is but an empty dream! For the soul...
Romantic Period — American Literature
The Romantic Period, 1820-1860: Fiction Outline of American Literature: Chapter 4 Protagonists of the American Romance are haunted, alienated individuals. By Kathryn VanSpanckeren The American Novelist The Romance: Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Edgar Allan Poe...
Democratic Origins and Revolutionary Writers: Outline of American Literature Chapter 2
Outline of American Literature Chapter 2 Democratic Origins and Revolutionary Writers, 1776-1820 By Kathryn VanSpanckeren Introduction and Overview The American Enlightenment: Benjamin Franklin, Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur The Political Pamphlet: Thomas Paine Neoclassicism:...
Outline of U.S. History: A Free Text
Here is a free American history text book that is available online or for download as a PDF from the United States Department of State.
At the Close of the Year by John Newton
A poem by John Newton (1725-1807), a British sailor and slave trader who experienced conversion and became a writer, Anglican minister, and activist for the abolition of slavery.
