Episode 106 - Washington Irving, The Man
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Dianne and Jennie are joined by not one, not two, but seven special guests on this episode to talk about Washington Irving, his life and his writings. Our guests are professor Tracy Hoffman who teaches Early American Literature at Baylor University and her students who are specifically studying Washington Irving this semester. We learn about Washington Irving's early life, the tragic loss of his fiance, his love of history and travel, and one of the most poignant moments in his life when he met the man he was named for... George Washington. Join us for this discussion of the Ordinary Extraordinary man who wrote "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and inspired this year's Beyond the Grave event and led Jennie on a very recent trip to Sleepy Hollow, New York to visit his grave.
To learn about the Washington Irving Society, visit their website at:
https://washingtonirvingsociety.org/
Senor Lecturer
Dr. Hoffman teaches Early American Literature at Baylor University in Texas and also serves as president of the Washington Irving Society. While earning her Ph.D. at Baylor, Hoffman began an independent study on Irving and wrote her dissertation on his work with a focus on gender. When she graduated, she connected with ALA and began gathering other scholars interested in Irving.
“The great thing about studying someones’ life and work is you never learn everything there is to know,” Hoffman said. “There's always more.”