Home : Rip Van Winkle and Other Stories : Study Guide

Rip Van Winkle and Other Stories Study Guide

by Washington Irving

The Rip Van Winkle study guide contains a biography of author Washington Irving, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis of his major short stories including Rip Van Winkle.

Rip Van Winkle and Other Stories is a collection of stories and sketches written by the fictional Geoffrey Crayon, a gentleman with a great interest in history and culture. He spends a long time traveling in Europe, especially in rural England, and most of the sketches deal with these travels. Crayon’s fondness for history and old customs leads him to many of the most rural areas of England, where these customs still flourish. He also enjoys hunting for antiquities in London and stumbles upon many relics of times past.

A few of the sketches deal with stories that Crayon hears on his travels. For example, in the legend of the dead bridegroom, a Bavarian nobleman is betrothed to a German woman he has never met and is killed on his way to their…

Read the full Rip Van Winkle and Other Stories Summary

• Rip Van Winkle and Other Stories Summary
• About Rip Van Winkle and Other Stories
• Character List
• Glossary of Terms
• Major Themes
• Quotes and Analysis
• Summary and Analysis of "Rip Van Winkle"
• Summary and Analysis of "The Author's Account of Himself," "The Voyage," "Roscoe," and "The Wife"
• Summary and Analysis of "English Writers on America," "Rural Life in England," "The Broken Heart," and "The Art of Book Making"
• Summary and Analysis of "A Royal Poet," "The Country Church," and "The Widow and Her Son"
• Summary and Analysis of "A Sunday in London," "The Boar's Head Tavern, East Cheap," "The Mutability of Literature," and "Rural Funerals"
• Summary and Analysis of "The Inn Kitchen," "The Spectre Bridegroom," and "Westminster Abbey"
• Summary and Analysis of "Christmas," "The Stage Coach," "Christmas Eve," "Christmas Day," and "The Christmas Dinner"
• Summary and Analysis of "London Antiques," "Little Britain," and "Stratford-on-Avon"
• Summary and Analysis of "Traits of Indian Character" and "Philip of Pokanoket"
• Summary and Analysis of "John Bull," "The Pride of the Village," and "The Angler"
• Other Rip Van Winkles
• Related Links on Rip Van Winkle and Other Stories
• Suggested Essay Questions
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 1
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 2
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 3
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 4
• Author of ClassicNote and Sources

• Rip Van Winkle and Other Stories: Major Themes
• Rip Van Winkle and Other Stories: Questions
• Rip Van Winkle and Other Stories: Purchase the Novel and Related Material
• Washington Irving: Biography