Washington Irving Society

Wednesday, August 27, 2025

In the spring, a friend asked me, “Are you still doing your weekly blogs?” I said no, but had fantastic excuses why I haven’t kept up the ritual: I’ve posted guest and student blogs, we have plenty of content on the website, I’ve been busy with other work, I’ve been dealing with family issues, etc. Of course, the pathetic response I gave to my friend has been eating at me all summer.

At least for this school year, from now until May 2026, I’m committed to giving my Wednesdays back to Washington Irving. It may take me until 11:59 p.m. somewhere on the planet, and like my daily workouts, some blogs may be rushed and brief, but I will show up to publish something on the website.

If we have a student or guest blogger, I can set them up on Wednesday, but post on a day other than Washington Irving Wednesday, so please keep those coming, if you are so inclined.

The teaching of Irving’s texts, especially “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” will probably be the subject of my next blogs for five main reasons:

1. I’m currently teaching an undergraduate class on Washington Irving.
2. People often email to ask for Irving teaching material, especially for “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”
3. It’s my understanding that Irving biographer Andrew Burstein has taught a course solely devoted to Washington Irving. I’d love to connect with others who have done the same. Perhaps we can unite our efforts in helping instructors who need teaching materials.
4. In October, I’m giving a paper on Washington Irving and Pedagogy for a conference.
5. I’m giving such a paper, and put together a pedagogy and literature panel, because my university, as of late, wants me to be an international superstar of pedagogy.

In part, I hope my blogging can help me work through ideas about the study of teaching Washington Irving–on a local, national, and international stage—to make a significant enough contribution to pacify my university’s “powers that be.”  

Those who know me well recognize how much I hate having my picture taken and have no interest whatsoever in being recognized internationally as a star of anything. But I will play the game.

I gave up the rigorous study of pedagogy decades ago, after taking a handful of graduate classes in a College of Education. I appreciated, and still appreciate, the foundation I received in the theory of education, but chose a different path—to pursue literary studies, which brought me to Washington Irving.

My university has been kind to me, allowing me the freedom for many years to focus my attention on Washington Irving, but I’m being lassoed a bit with pedagogy restraints.

With these initial thoughts in mind, on this renewed Washington Irving Wednesday, I ask you to please like or dislike, comment in kind or unkind, to any upcoming content creation from me, since my academic career now demands such responses. I thank you in advance, and I have a hunch this shift in academia may benefit the Washington Irving Society more than I realize. I trust the work ahead of me will be a “win-win” situation for me, the university, and Irving scholarship.