Name
Date
Hour
Early American Literature Chart
Title
“Rip Van Winkle”
Characteristic
Puritan beliefs displayed
(explain which ones, if
any)
Typical early genres
(sermon, religious poem,
religious tract, diaries or
journals)
Settings firmly grounded
in the new world
Focus on issues unique to
the new world
Concerns about Native
Americans
Concerns about slavery
Developing new social
codes and/or a national
identity
Fictional plots are simple;
stories are more like
sketches
Use of realistic dialects
(OVER)
Author
Washington Irving
Evidence/example in literary work
Name
Date
Hour
1. How would you describe
Rip Van Winkle? (What
does he enjoy? What
does he dislike?)
2. What is the first
indication that this story
is not wholly realistic?
3. What is Irving
attempting to compare
and contrast in this
story? What is the
message of this
comparison?
4. Which elements in this
story are romantic (not
realistic)?
5. Which elements are
realistic?
“Rip Van Winkle” also contains many elements of Romantic literature, which we will learn
about in the next unit. See if you can identify them:
Romantic Element
Evidence in this Story
Fantasy and Imagination
Love of Nature
Legends and Myths
The Supernatural
Failed Love
Rural Life and the Common
Man