In the Village Circle: Washington Irving and Transatlantic Folk Revivals

Washington Irving has long attracted the interest of folklorists for his literary use of folkloric material, which he crafted into enduring North American legends such as the story of Rip Van Winkle. In this article, I argue that he was a participant in one of the earliest self-conscious revivals of folk traditions in the English-speaking world, motivated by social and religious concerns.