Rip Van Winkle

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1819

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Introduction

Before Reading

During Reading

After Reading

Introduction

Teacher Introduction

“Rip Van Winkle”

Genre: Short story; fantasy; folk tale
Originally Published: 1819
Reading Level/Interest: 1140L; ages 10 and up; grades 5-12
Structure/Length: Approximately 23 pages
Protagonist/Central Conflict: The story follows the character of Rip Van Winkle, a lazy and amiable man who escapes his nagging wife by wandering into the Catskill Mountains. He falls asleep and wakes up 20 years later to find everything has changed. The central conflict explores themes of transformation, nostalgia, and the passage of time.
Potential Sensitivity Issues: Old-fashioned gender roles and stereotypes; depiction of alcohol

Washington Irving, Author

Bio: Born April 3, 1783, and died November 28, 1859; an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, and historian; considered one of the first notable authors of American literature; his works often dealt with American myths and legends
Other Works: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1820); A History of New York (1809); Tales of the Alhambra (1832)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

America’s War for Independence and the Meaning of Freedom
Myth in the Old World and the New
Rip Van Winkle: Early American Romantic

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

Develop an understanding of the cultural and historical contexts surrounding Romanticism that incite Rip Van Winkle’s conflict.
Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of Freedom, The Old and New World, and American Romanticism.
Plan, design, and construct visual media to convey allegorical elements based on text details.
Analyze and evaluate the plot and character details to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding Romanticism, folklore, and other topics.