Reading Old Books, Again: "The Sketchbook" by Washington Irving

 Washington Irving was born just as the American Revolution was ending; he died right before the American Civil War began; interesting time for a life-span. He came from a wealthy, influential family.

Over the course of his years, his many published works made him America's most famously published and popular writer before Mark Twain. He was so loved that, even today, if you notice the name "Irving" on any place/location (that may have existed before 1900) it was probably named for Washington Irving. I learned that Irving Park, IL is such a place, for example.

The Sketchbook contains his famous "Rip Van Winkle" and "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" stories. It is different to read the stories as they were originally penned than to see them recreated as movies or cartoons for children. 

The book is written as a "travel", based on Geoffrey Crayon's sojourn in England about 1820. He likes the simple, rustic and rural English country life--he glorifies this richly and well. 

He wrote about King James I of Scotland, held as a royal hostage in the Tower at Windsor Castle in the early 1500's. As I watched the images of the castle on TV during the funeral for Prince Phillip, I wondered where the young king was held; and I thought of Irving, visiting the castle about 1820; he felt that was "modern times": he looked back at 1500 as if it were deep history; by now, 200 more years have past.

That kind of timelessness flows throughout the book. Such as, an idle hour solitary tour around the inside of Westminster Abbey, with no one to disturb his ramblings. In his day, the place had a boys' school attached (maybe still does?) with the sounds of kids playing just outside.

He held Shakespeare in almost godly reverence and wrote about his visit to Stratford-on-Avon; the town was a tourist trap even then, with fake relics of the Bard on sale around town like pieces of the True Cross.

Irving had a creepy or maudlin streak: I read somewhere he was mourning the death of his 17 year old fiancee from TB. He was about 35 at the time; another case of a man in his 30's engaged to a teenage girl. It gives us the creeps today, but was common in the distant past.  He wrote several stories of love gone wrong (and the girl wastes away to death), "the horrors of the tomb", regrets of the living as they mourn the dead, etc.

There's a series of stories about being invited to spend Christmas at an isolated estate of a family that tried to preserve the ancient customs of the land. These essays are said to have influenced Dickens, much later, to write "A Christmas Story".

At first, I was wishy-washy about finishing the book, but I did. I have internalized the material. My understanding of the world has increased by this experience. 

Now what shall I read?

Fail: Tried to read The Jewel in the Crown by Paul Scott

 I wanted to love this book; since I read Mark Twain's Travel book, Following the Equator, I wanted to read something else about India. A novel seemed perfect.

But not this one. It is one of those "pages by the pound" novels where it seems a book worth 200 pages by its plot somehow expands to 500 pages.

Not only did it not pass the 30-page test, I could not make it past page 23.

Sad. It had potential. And I feel dejected when I cannot wrap my mind around some novel I'd like to enjoy.

Springtime of the Year

 A yard full of daffodils, siberian squill and the beginning of Virginia Bluebells.

The dandelions and violets were in bloom in Tennessee, where we were last week.

Right now?? It is cold and I see a snow shower outside.  

I'm Doing The Best I Can, Under the Circumstances.

 The Unsustainable Circumstances.

Reading Old Books ( "Revolutionaries" by Jack Rakove )

 Or, if not that, then read books about old subjects.

Also note: I read an article lately which pointed out that professional librarians have been instructed to discard old books in favor of newer titles and electronic books. The author learned this when he failed to locate an titles by Dostoyevsky in his local library, and dug deeper.   

Treasure the Second Hand Book Store, I guess.

I finally completed "Revolutionaries-A New History of the Invention of America" by Jack Rakove.

He takes a modern approach to analyzing the characteristics of the principals of the American Revolution. In turn, he discussed the entire situation they faced: the crisis of the French and Indian War caused the British to try to force the Colonies to pay the costs of having the British Army's protection by imposing several new taxes and fees on every aspect of life and commerce. The Colonists figured they could protect  themselves, if allowed.

The book felt like an associated group of essays packaged together for a book. But that was ok.

Things I learned:

The Boston Tea Party: today, it is taught as if it was a joke or a prank; it was a huge assault on British commerce: the value of the tea was nine thousand pounds sterling. Real money in those days.

John Adams--the crankiest Founding Father. He might have been a teacher or a minister, but he chose to study the law. Rakove says that of all the Founders, Adams' life changed the most from his humble beginnings: most of the others were wealthy business men or gentlemen of the Planter Class.

Today, we know his cousin Samuel Adams from the beer label. But Sam Adams managed to bankrupt the family brewing business. He was a born revolutionary politician.

I did not realize that Benjamin Franklin (among the oldest Founders) was already world famous for his time, by the 1770's. He had lived in Britain, representing the Colonies. He was a complete, one-of-a-kind character. He and John Adams did not get on well: Adams was too brittle and sensitive; Franklin didn't care.

General Washington: by the end of his relatively short life, his popularity had reached Devine proportions. Though he surveyed the wilderness and fought in the French and Indian War, his ability as a general in the Revolution came from the skills he had learned managing this large plantation in VA: managing men, managing material, patience, honesty, authority. He was unusually able to compartmentalize--keep working "forward" in spite of what might be going on (or going wrong!) at the moment.     And George Washington Prayed All The Time. God was his best friend.

George Mason's vision of independence, due to his interest in the Virginia constitution was more important than I knew. As a child, I was taken to visit his beautiful plantation home, Gunston Hall, near Mt. Vernon. He and Washington were neighbors.

It is a meaty book. The author provides a deep dive into the life of the American diplomats: Franklin, Lee, Adams, John Jay and eventually Thomas Jefferson. They lived in a separate world from the fighting back home.

Often, Jefferson is idolized. This book also mentions his rather selfish tendency to concentrate on his own "pursuit of happiness" (remaining in Virginia when he was needed in Philadelphia with the Congress during the War), such profligate spending that enslaved families had to be separated by sale to clear his debts after his death. We will never truly understand his relationship with Sally Hemmings. As a reader of Faulkner, I am suspicious.

James Madison. We owe him everything for the elegant Constitution he crafted and nurtured. It was a complicated process to get the unique document into law. Shame it is being ruined.

Was Alexander Hamilton like a Trump of his day? He was not born rich, but found a way to be rich, he never took no for an answer but kept campaigning for what he wanted. He wanted a strong, central Federal government on sound financial standing. 

I didn't know how many of the Founders did not get along well: Hamilton was at odds with Jefferson and Madison. And Aaron Burr was just a bad operator--always cooking up some kind of trouble, besides killing Hamilton. Adams was prickly and insecure; besides Franklin, there were times he was at odds with others, like Jefferson. Though they died on the same day: July 4, 1826.

Exciting Signs of Spring

 On morning walks the past days:

An entire flock of Cedar Wax Wings! These I haven't seen in our town for many years.

Yesterday, a pair of Red Bellied Woodpeckers seemed to be conversing--perhaps planning a nest and a family?  These birds are a bit raucous and don't seem to enjoy company. This pair were playing nicely, it seemed to me.

I'm glad to see the less common, "prettier" native species able to nest and raise families in our simple suburban area. 

A few years back, there was a nesting pair of Marsh Hawks with young in the nest at our nearby park.

At the local golf course--thick with large trees--I saw what appeared to be an adult Red Tail Hawk with a first year young tagging along. That was just a month or so ago, before it got so cold.

On A Lighter Note: Third Rule

Don't be like me: I'm 72 and 1/2 years old and I only just learned what a useful product Bar Keepers Friend is. 

Think of all the kitchen sinks I have scrubbed with products like Comet, etc! That don't work very well.

It makes me wonder what else I have missed in life. Haha.