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Rip van Winkle

POOR RIP van Winkle; I always felt bad for him. He falls asleep for twenty years, and returns to his own native village where is now unknown and taken for some strange vagrant. “I am a poor quiet man, a native of the place, and a loyal subject of the king, God bless him!” he exclaims, in blissful ignorance of the Revolution which took place during his slumber. “A tory! a tory! a spy! a refugee! hustle him! away with him!” cry the by-standers.

I have long thought that Washington Irving was trying to make a subtle traditionalist point here: the definition of a good citizen has been arbitrarily changed. If a man was a good New Yorker in 1765 and hasn’t changed, why is he a traitor in 1785? It’s clearly ridiculous, except to proto-Jacobins and ideologues.

Anyhow, the lesson of the story: drink not from the flagons of odd-looking personages playing nine-pins amidst the Hudson Highlands.

Previously: Rip van Winkle

Published at 8:51 pm on Friday 21 September 2007. Categories: Books New York The Hudson Tags: , , , , .
Comments

There are parallels to all those brave and stubborn souls who fought for the Tridentine Mass. They were good people, and refused to change, and were persecuted for it.

Also, reminds me of those Republicans like Ron Paul who still hold to the old Republican ideas of small government and free people.

— Rob H. 22 Sep 2007 7:57 am

Who are the artists? Is the first picture a book illustration and the second a mural?

— Peter 24 Sep 2007 12:04 pm

The first is an illustration by Bernard Westmacott, the second is a CWA mural in the Childrens Room of the Ives Library in New Haven.

— Andrew Cusack 24 Sep 2007 5:53 pm
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