Is "The Haunted House," by Washington Irving, a beautifully written story about nothing?
AN ESSAY*
BY
STEVE MASSEY
*ESSAY MAY ALSO BE USED TO SWAT FLIES, START FIRES OR BE USED AS AN ARTIFICIAL TRUMPET OR TELESCOPE.
In modern society, American literature is regarded as a strong sociological media form due to its intellectual stronghold on human nature. It’s ironic that Washington Irving’s "The Haunted House" was one of the first pieces of literature that started the whole journey. "The Haunted House" is a beautifully written story about nothing. The story contains a beautifully written language, but due to unfinished plot twists, which result in many unnecessary details, it becomes dull and uninspiring.
In order for something to be groundbreaking it must be overwhelming. Despite the dreary tempo of the story, it is beautifully written in a melodic language. Washington Irving’s use of consonants and alliteration reinforces certain themes into the reader’s mind, "Not that the whipster was really vicious; he was only full of fun and frolic. And had that daring, gamesome spirit which is extolled in a rich man’s child, but execrated in a poor man’s" (Irving, p129). These literary tools are garnished with Irving’s ability to paint a scene, no matter how formulaic or cliché. A strong example of this, is when Dolph Heyliger, the doctor and Peter de Groodt arrive at the haunted house,
".... and the doctor grappled still closer hold of Dolph’s arm, observing that the ground was very slippery and uneven. At one time they were nearly put to total rout by a bat, which came flitting about the lantern; and the notes of the insects from the trees, and the frogs from a
neighboring pond, formed a most drowsy and doleful concert. The front door of the mansion opened with a grating sound, that made the doctor turn pale." (Irving, p141)
This language, including the use of onamotopoeia, conveys a tone of suspense that is well suited to the scene and climatic proceedings.
Although "The Haunted House" is an attractive work of writing, it is a dull inconceivable mystery. Washington Irving made this a very lively story by inputting many different subplots to keep the reader intrigued. The only problem is that once he introduced these aspects of the story, he never returned to them. One such incident is Dolph’s encounter with the snakes on the cliff. The snakes are never major players in contributing to the plot or supporting Dolph’s development. Another open subplot in "The Haunted House" is the appearance of the ship at the harbour. Dolph never finds out about the importance or significance of the ship, whether it was in fact sent by the ghost, or a mere coincidence. The events of the ship after Dolph is swept overboard, are also left a mystery. The last known account of the ship, "She had hard work to weather a long promontory on the eastern shore, round which the river turned, and which completely shut her from Dolph’s view" (Irving p153), leaves us with not even a trace as to the ship’s resulting state.
These unended storylines result in one of the key elements that make this story about nothing: unnecessary detail. When a writer obsesses with aspects of the story that do not include the main plot, it leaves the storyline dull and lifeless. Since the story mainly evolves around a man who goes from a punk with nothing, to a rich, loved gentleman, there are a lot of paragraphs spent describing useless situations. The largest waste of paper is the story of "The Storm Ship." Washington Irving could have made the story progress and saved the reader a great deal of time by condensing his six pages into a few lines. From the entire story, the only relevant material is the information that the river is haunted. This may explain the relevance of the mystery ship, yet nothing is confirmed. Another display of useless writing is the presence of Frau Ilsé. The attention that is drawn to her about her gossiping nature and her constant companionship with Dr. Karl Ludovick Knipperhausen, is entirely irrelevant to the plot or to Dolph,. "Frau Ilsé had accompanied him in his various migrations from Germany to England, and from England to the province; managing his establishment and himself too: ruling him, it is true, with a gentle hand, but carrying a high hand with all the world beside" (Irving 133,134). These facts do not play a part at all in Dolph’s journey. Irving misled the reader’s interest into the housekeeper so far, as to even inform the reader of the correct pronunciation of her name, "...Frau Ilsy, as it was pronounced" (Irving p133).
This story contains a wonderfully composed dialect, but since many incidents are left unresolved, which result in wasted interest, it does not leave an impact on the reader. Washington Irving’s "The Haunted House" is a beautifully written story about nothing. Although it is one of America’s first and foremost literary works, which contains much beautiful detail, it undoubtedly remains dull.
BY
STEVE MASSEY
*ESSAY MAY ALSO BE USED TO SWAT FLIES, START FIRES OR BE USED AS AN ARTIFICIAL TRUMPET OR TELESCOPE.
In modern society, American literature is regarded as a strong sociological media form due to its intellectual stronghold on human nature. It’s ironic that Washington Irving’s "The Haunted House" was one of the first pieces of literature that started the whole journey. "The Haunted House" is a beautifully written story about nothing. The story contains a beautifully written language, but due to unfinished plot twists, which result in many unnecessary details, it becomes dull and uninspiring.
In order for something to be groundbreaking it must be overwhelming. Despite the dreary tempo of the story, it is beautifully written in a melodic language. Washington Irving’s use of consonants and alliteration reinforces certain themes into the reader’s mind, "Not that the whipster was really vicious; he was only full of fun and frolic. And had that daring, gamesome spirit which is extolled in a rich man’s child, but execrated in a poor man’s" (Irving, p129). These literary tools are garnished with Irving’s ability to paint a scene, no matter how formulaic or cliché. A strong example of this, is when Dolph Heyliger, the doctor and Peter de Groodt arrive at the haunted house,
".... and the doctor grappled still closer hold of Dolph’s arm, observing that the ground was very slippery and uneven. At one time they were nearly put to total rout by a bat, which came flitting about the lantern; and the notes of the insects from the trees, and the frogs from a
neighboring pond, formed a most drowsy and doleful concert. The front door of the mansion opened with a grating sound, that made the doctor turn pale." (Irving, p141)
This language, including the use of onamotopoeia, conveys a tone of suspense that is well suited to the scene and climatic proceedings.
Although "The Haunted House" is an attractive work of writing, it is a dull inconceivable mystery. Washington Irving made this a very lively story by inputting many different subplots to keep the reader intrigued. The only problem is that once he introduced these aspects of the story, he never returned to them. One such incident is Dolph’s encounter with the snakes on the cliff. The snakes are never major players in contributing to the plot or supporting Dolph’s development. Another open subplot in "The Haunted House" is the appearance of the ship at the harbour. Dolph never finds out about the importance or significance of the ship, whether it was in fact sent by the ghost, or a mere coincidence. The events of the ship after Dolph is swept overboard, are also left a mystery. The last known account of the ship, "She had hard work to weather a long promontory on the eastern shore, round which the river turned, and which completely shut her from Dolph’s view" (Irving p153), leaves us with not even a trace as to the ship’s resulting state.
These unended storylines result in one of the key elements that make this story about nothing: unnecessary detail. When a writer obsesses with aspects of the story that do not include the main plot, it leaves the storyline dull and lifeless. Since the story mainly evolves around a man who goes from a punk with nothing, to a rich, loved gentleman, there are a lot of paragraphs spent describing useless situations. The largest waste of paper is the story of "The Storm Ship." Washington Irving could have made the story progress and saved the reader a great deal of time by condensing his six pages into a few lines. From the entire story, the only relevant material is the information that the river is haunted. This may explain the relevance of the mystery ship, yet nothing is confirmed. Another display of useless writing is the presence of Frau Ilsé. The attention that is drawn to her about her gossiping nature and her constant companionship with Dr. Karl Ludovick Knipperhausen, is entirely irrelevant to the plot or to Dolph,. "Frau Ilsé had accompanied him in his various migrations from Germany to England, and from England to the province; managing his establishment and himself too: ruling him, it is true, with a gentle hand, but carrying a high hand with all the world beside" (Irving 133,134). These facts do not play a part at all in Dolph’s journey. Irving misled the reader’s interest into the housekeeper so far, as to even inform the reader of the correct pronunciation of her name, "...Frau Ilsy, as it was pronounced" (Irving p133).
This story contains a wonderfully composed dialect, but since many incidents are left unresolved, which result in wasted interest, it does not leave an impact on the reader. Washington Irving’s "The Haunted House" is a beautifully written story about nothing. Although it is one of America’s first and foremost literary works, which contains much beautiful detail, it undoubtedly remains dull.
posted by Phantom at 7:16 PM
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