“The Spectre Bridegroom” Washington Irving
Subject North American literature Teacher’s name Lcda. Ana Gladys Martínez Students’ names Gutierrez Veliz Dalia Yinely Henriquez Castro Katherine Michelle
Washington Irving Washington Irving was an American writer and the first U.S. Author to achieve international renown. Irving was born on April 30th, 1738 in New York City. He went to private schools and studied law. After graduation, he served in several law offices. Because of his health, he traveled across the Europe from 1804 to 1806, when he was eventually admitted to the bar. But his interest in law wasn't deep. It wasn't long-lasting either. At that time, he began to write and send satirical essays and sketches to New York newspapers. A group of these pieces, written from 1802 to 1803 and collected under the title, "Letters of Jonathan Old-style", Gent' won for Irving his earliest literary recognition. Irving's contributions to this miscellany
established his reputation as an essayist and his wit. This reputation was enhanced by his next work, "A History of New York" (1809), ostensibly written by Irving's famous comic creation, the Dutch American scholar Diedrich Knickerbocker. In 1815, Irving went to Liverpool, England as a silent partner in his brother's commercial firm. After a series of losses, the business soon went under and Irving returned to writing. It was in England that he wrote "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent", which contained one of his most famous works, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". From 1826 to 1829 he wrote several historical works. In 1832, after an absence of 17 years, Irving returned to the US where he was welcomed as a figure of national importance. In 1846, he settled at Sunnyside, his country home near Tarrytown, NY. There he remained until his death in November of 1859 at age 76.
Summary For this summary we would like to focus on Irving’s use of irony throughout “The Spectre Bridegroom”. The Baron is a man who has inherited a slowly dying fortune and a few too many feuds with other families. He’s smart, trying to save money and living in peaceful times. The irony is centered around his only child, his daughter. Normally, with royal families (that’s what this appears to be) they must have sons to pass on the family name. Continuing, the daughter is a prodigy, being beautiful and good at all the skills necessary to be a “fine lady”. She is brought up in near seclusion and taught all these skills by her two spinster aunts, who “having been
great flirts and coquettes (fli in their younger days, were admirably calculated to be vigilant guardians and strict censors of the conduct of their niece; for there is no duenna (elderly governess) so rigidly prudent, and inexorably decorous, as a superannuated coquette.” In everyday speech, this young maiden of perfection was taught to keep her hands to herself by her two
Summary aunts, who had trouble doing just that as young girls. And in other ironic portions of the story not centered around the daughter. The Baron intended to have his daughter marry Count van Altenburg, without them seeing each other beforehand naturally. What’s ironic about this is that the two families were at peace, and the daughter ends up marrying Herman von Starkenfaust, belonging to one of the families of Baron von hereditary feuds. The irony is that it unintentionally helped keep peace between two hostile families. I’d have thought the Baron would have a more thought out plan.
Setting The setting takes place in the beautiful mountains of Odenwald in the northern parts of Germany in an old castle. The Spectre Bridegroom is a terrific tale of terror, valor, and true love.
“The Spectre Bridegroom” was inspired by German legends, but this time Irving retained the location and period of the original material. The most obvious source is Gottfried August Bürger’s Lenore (1774), which Irving mentions in passing within the story itself. Bürger’s ballad depicts a young woman whisked away from her home on horseback by an apparition that resembles her lost fiancé, who had gone missing in action on the battlefield.
Characters ◘ The Baron: is a man, who has inherited a slowly dying fortune and a few too many feuds with other families. He’s smart, trying to save money and living in peaceful times. ◘ Baron´s daughter: is a prodigy, being beautiful and good at all the skills necessary to be a “fine lady”. ◘ Herman von Starkenfaust: Is the spectre bridegroom
◘ Two “spinster” aunts: who having been great flirts and coquettes in their younger days, were admirably calculated to be vigilant guardians and strict censors of the conduct of their niece ◘ Count Von Altenburg: is a man, who is supposed to marry the daughter but is finally wounded ◘ Spectre: Ghost
Personal Opinion “The Spectre Bridegroom�
Is
a story where the title character triumphs not through strength or intelligence, but rather through manipulating the imaginations of those who would oppose his aims. In our opinion the Spectre Bridegroom is a terrific tale of terror and true love, because is a story that renews the gloomy glory of the ghost story and the corporal convention that, though doomed to the grave, men cannot seem to keep out of the graveyard to save their lives. In this story, there is to be an arranged marriage, and while the bride's family is waiting to welcome the bridegroom, he gets fatally wounded by robbers in route to the feast. The messenger who goes to relay the news is mistaken
for the bridegroom; he decides to play along to have dinner with the beautiful bride, then declares that he has been killed and must go to his grave. When news comes the next day that the groom had indeed been killed, everyone is convinced that they dined with a spectre. A few days later, when the girl goes missing, one of the aunts concludes that "the spectre must have carried off his bride bearing her away to the tomb. All present were struck with the direful probability; for events of the kind are extremely common in Germany, as many well authenticated histories bear witness. We love the way in which Irving pokes fun at his characters completely earnest superstitions.
“The Spectre Bridegroom”