Washington IrvingWashington Irving was born in Manhattan, New York on April 3rd, 1783 in the same week as the official ceasefire that marked the end of the American Revolutionary War. He was one of 11 children, born to Scottish-English immigrants and was named after George Washington, the American hero of the Revolutionary war. In his youth, a local outbreak of yellow fever prompted his family to send him to stay with a family friend in Tarrytown, New York. It was here that he became familiar with the peaceful nearby town of Sleepy Hollow and its local legends and customs. As a young man, Irving began writing comical essays under the name of Diedrich Knickerbocker- a name that he used for sleepy hollow, which has the opening notation “found among the papers of the late Diedrich Knickerbocker.” Using this pseudonym, Irving wrote the infamous “A History of New York,” a satire of the self-important revering of local history. Between 1817 and 1818, Irving wrote a series of stories and essays called the “sketch book” under the pseudonym Geoffrey Crayon which included “the legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle.” He wrote the book during a tour of Europe, and German Folktales, such as ‘the wild huntsman’ provided inspiration, along with legends of headless horsemen from Scandinavia and Ireland. The book was published in 1820, and its public and critical success catapulted Irving to international fame. He was especially well-loved in America, as is represented in a letter from American Senator William Preston "I believe that we have had but one man who is so much in the popular heart.” Irving continued to publish works throughout his life.
Photos: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Irving (Washington Irving) References: Lourenco, Alexander. "The historical context of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving - by Alexander Lourenco - Helium." Helium - Where Knowledge Rules. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Aug. 2013. http://www.helium.com/items/1130141-the-historical-context-of-the-legend-of-sleepy-hollow-by-washington-irving "19th Century American Culture - 1800-1810 - LSC-Kingwood Library." LSC-Kingwood Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Aug. 2013. http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/19thcentury "Manifest Destiny — History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts." History.com — History Made Every Day — American & World History. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Aug. 2013. http://www.history.com/topics/manifest-destiny |
Tim BurtonTim Burton was born on the 25th of August 1958, in Burbank, California. As a child, he developed great passions for drawing and for old horror movies, especially those of Vincent Price. His love of drawing persisted and ultimately inspired Burton to attend the California Institute of the Arts to study animation. After graduating, he became an animator for Disney, working on productions such as The Black Cauldron and the Fox and the Hound. However, he soon found himself growing tired of the work, and within a year, had gone solo. His early animations included Vincent, a critically acclaimed short animation that was a testament to his childhood hero Vincent Price and Frankenweenie. When well-known actor Paul Reubens (Pee-wee Herman) saw the latter film, he enlisted Burton to direct his first feature-length film, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. From here, Burton went on to become a renowned director, with creations such as Beetlejuice, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns and Ed Wood. He also produced the marvellous animation, The Nightmare before Christmas. All of these films are examples of Burton’s unique directing style- gothic and fantastical, often featuring persecuted outsiders as heros. Finally, in 1999, Burton released his dark and artistic version of Washington Irving’s short story, Sleepy Hollow, starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci. This film was met with critical acclaim, and redeemed Burton in the eyes of the public after the flop of his previous film,” Mars Attacks!” Tim Burton is still an active director and producer today.
Photos: http://collider.com/tim-burton-frankenweenie-beetlejuice-2-sequel/ (Tim Burton) References: type. "Tim Burton (I) - Biography." IMDb - Movies, TV and Celebrities. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Aug. 2013. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000318/bio |