[originaltext] Washington Irving was America’s first man of letters to be kn

Washington Irving was America’s first man of letters to be known internationally. His works were received enthusiastically both in England and in the United States. He was, in fact, one of the most successful writers of his time in either country, delighting a large general public and at the same time winning the admiration of fellow writers like Scott in Britain and Poe and Hawthorne in the US.
    The respect with which he was held was partly owing to the man himself, with his warm friendliness, his good sense, his gracious manners, his pleasant spirits, his artistic integrity, his love of both the Old World and the New. Thackeray described Irving as "a gentleman, who, though himself born in a very high sphere, was most finished, polished, witty, socially the equal of the most refined Europeans." In England he was granted an honorary degree from Oxford—an unusual honor for a citizen of a young, uncultured nation— and he received the medal of the Royal Society of literature; America made him ambassador to Spain.
    Irving’s background provides little to explain his literary achievements. A gifted but delicate child, he had little formal schooling. He Studied law, but without zeal, and never did practice seriously. He was immune to his strict Presbyterian home environment, frequenting both social gatherings and the theatre.