The Sketch Book Washington Irving
Westminster Abbey
Mauricio Enrique
Biography Washington Irvin (1783-1859) Washington Irving, (born April 3, 1783, New York, New York, U.S.— died November 28, 1859, Tarrytown, New York), writer called the “first American man of letters.” He is best known for the short stories “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” Winkle.” Irving diedand of a“Rip heartVan attack in his bedroom at Sunnyside on November 28, 1859, age 76— only eight months after completing the final volume of his Washington biography. Legend has it that his last words were: "Well, I must arrange my pillows for another night. When will this end?"[93] He was buried under a simple headstone at Sleepy Hollow cemetery on December 1, 1859.[94] Irving and his grave were commemorated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his 1876 poem "In The Churchyard at Tarrytown"
Summary The story is introduced by a poem from Christolero's Epigrams, by T.B., realizing that life is vanity and death is the proof thereof.The first person narrator gives an account of a melancholy autumn day which he spent in Westminster Abbey, setting off in the morning and leaving in the evening. First he describes the outside of the Abbey, the cloisters and the tombstones which form the pavement beneath his feat. He observes this mingled picture of glory and decay, the effigies of three early abbots whose epitaphs are no longer readable, only their names has been renewed
He enters to the building, amazed by its magnitude and by its mysterious atmosphere. He observes not only the architecture but above all the tombs. The tombs with the bones of the great men of past times are compared to those of the Poet's Corner. The former are proud and boasting, their dead are (in)famous for the deeds of violence and blood. The latter are humble, simple, their dead are famous for the pleasure which they gave through poetry, often sacrificing themselves and their own pleasures for this higher aim. What they have in common is that the once famous and great men and women are finally buried in the same gloomy corner and as the time passes they are gradually forgotten.
The narrator proceeds to the Chapel of Henry the Seventh, with sculptures of Knights of the Bath, decorated in the Gothic style. He finds sad dreariness in this magnificence, the living aspirations beside mementos showing the dust and oblivion in which we all must sooner or later terminate. The narrator thinks of the hum of an admiring crowd, but now there is the silence of death. There are only birds which found way into the chapel. The narrator contemplates the equality of the grave, when seeing the tombs of Queen Elizabeth and Mary close together. Suddenly there is the sound of organ, throwing the narrator into reverie by its power.
As there is also a Gothic rough throne, there is literally but a step from the throne to the sepulcher. The grave is here no longer a sanctuary, the graves are plundered and dishonored. As the narrator leaves the Abbey, he tries to recollect something of the chapels and shrines and tombs he saw, but he does not really manage. All is oblivion; and there is also Sir Thomas Browne's quotation saying we all will be forgotten as we forget our fathers ourselves. The vanity is to be seen also in the example of Alexander the Great whose ashes have been scattered to the wind and his empty tomb is just as a curiosity in a museum. In the same way as people pass away, also the buildings, and even such a building as Westminster Abbey, will perish and be forgotten.
Setting The narrator gives an account of a melancholy autumn day which he spent and the story is introduced by a poem realizing that life is vanity and death is the proof thereof. Here is when all starts, when the narrator contemplates the outside of Westminster Abbey and starts to describe the outlook of this peculiar place. After minutes of thinking , he finally decides to enter, and he starts to admire all the details inside of the abbey, but he does not only contemplates its architecture but above all the tombs., wandering on each of them when he realizes something very important “once famous, great men and women are finally buried in the same gloomy corner and as the time passes they are gradually forgotten
Characters On this narrative there are not characters included because the whole is story is developed by a narrator, making the story a mologue basically
Personal opinion
On the whole story there is no action but rather than that, an atmosphere of deep thoughts is built. Probably the fact that the main character is alone inside of the Westminster Abbey may look a little bit boring, however while we are reading, we enter on a gloomy and dusky atmosphere which pervades until the end of this monologue. I really liked the fact that the narrator is analyzing every single detail of the place, and presenting very important facts about life, death but also personal comments making the story very interesting