The Boar`s Head Tavern

A SHAKESPEARIAN RESEARCH.

"A tavern is the rendezvous, the exchange, the staple of good fellows.

 I have heard my great-grandfather tell, how his great-great-grandfather should say, 

that it was an old proverb when his great-grandfather was a child,

 that `it was a good wind that blew a man to the wine.`"

(MOTHER BOMBIE).

This is the incipit of the 13th chapter of The Sketch-book of Washington Irving.

Irving wrote it while he was in England, and it was published simultaneously in England and America. Since the work was written in the backdrop of war of 1812, the political acrimony between American and English publics at that time cannot be ruled out as a factor affecting their feelings towards each other. The war in fact, “initiated or hastened the development of many trends of a psychological, economic, and political nature” (Coles 263).  The mere fact that Irving was catering to the tastes of two different audiences at the same time suggests that it must have taken more than average writing skills to make the work appealing to both. The success of the work both in England and America, especially when both the audiences of the time were quite hostile to each other, in itself suggests that the author must have deduced the possible audience response and then written the work to dispel any negative feelings by the reader.

Doesn't every author tend to keep in mind what the audience wants, or what would sell, and then write a work? It's a justified question, but there is one anomaly here which must be kept in mind: the author (or the narrator) of The Sketch Book goes out of his way to present the work as spontaneous, unembellished impressions of a traveler. Thus, Irving is presenting a highly sophisticated work in a very nonchalant way as if the work isn't very accomplished or finished. This leads one to yet another question as to why he does that? It can be said, in a nutshell, that this form of presentation is aimed at creating a lowered horizon of expectation for the reader. Thus, when the reader enters the work, it's with a mind set of the one looking at an unfinished, unpolished work--even though the work is highly embellished and sophisticated--the work surprises the reader because it turns out to be better than expected. This reverse effect is achieved through different techniques, and the title of the work happens to be the first carefully placed trap-door through which the reader is lured into the work.

The term sketch-book means that  the book contains essays or studies of more or less descriptive nature, but the usage of the word 'sketch' implies a preliminary study or a representation of a work of art intended for elaboration; and while a sketch may have line, shading, and color, it connotes hastiness, and incompleteness.

Thus, to a reader the title of the work itself would tend to suggest that The Sketch Book is a compilation of unfinished sketches, and, therefore, not subject to thorough scrutiny meant for a more sophisticated work. The irony is that even though it is called The Sketch Book, the prose and narrative style in the book is highly sophisticated, which leads the reader to appreciate the work better simply because it turns out to be more than expected. Thus, it can be said that even the title of the work is a very carefully crafted way of ensuring a less critical response from a potential reader, and at the same time allowing the author to say--in case of a negative review--that after all it is just a sketch book. The title, therefore, is meant to work in favor of the author, or otherwise Irving could have titled  The Sketch Book as "The Contemplative Essays of a Traveling Artist."

It must also be noted that Irving doesn't attribute the work to himself; instead he qualifies the title The Sketch Book with an annotation suggesting it to beThe Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. Thus, the whole work happens to be the observations of this gentleman, who, of course, is fictional but serves a very important purpose. Geoffrey Crayon is "the shy spectator who wishes he had close friends or relatives, the aging bachelor who would half like to be married, the American in England searching for a past...He serves as a go between .…for American readers and British writers; he mediates between past and present," (Hedges 129), thus becoming a central figure in the whole work, and lending it coherence. Crayon also serves the purpose of being a shield, or a screen between Irving and the audience. As explained earlier, Irving wrote The Sketch Book while he was in England, he therefore had to walk a very balanced path ensuring that he neither offended his hosts, nor his countrymen. The persona of Geoffrey Crayon allows Irving the freedom of action, which he otherwise would have not had if he had been the narrator himself.  Since Mr. Crayon is a gentleman--as it is carefully pointed out in the title--it allows Irving, to " write like a gentleman" (375). Thus, hypothetically if the British gentry and educated classes questioned the authorship of the work simply on the grounds that Irving was not truly a gentleman in English sense, Irving could have said that these were the writings from the point of view of Geoffrey Crayon, who of course, happens to be a gentleman. On the other hand if objected by the American audience for romanticizing English heritage--especially in the backdrop of the war of 1812--he could have quite conveniently replied that the ideas expressed in The Sketch Book were actually the ideas which someone like Geoffrey Crayon Gent. would have, under those circumstances. Thus, simply by attributing the whole work to a self created person, Irving uses a potent device to meet a two-pronged critical response from British and American audiences. This usage of a fictional person cannot just be termed as a mere coincidence. After all why would Irving use such a person, at a time when he did want to take credit for his writings--if not as a technique of defense against possible criticism? The use of person, however, allows Irving the room to take credit if the work were successful (which it was). But if the work had drawn strong criticism, Irving would have Geoffrey Crayon to blame, for he could have said that he had tried to capture images as some one like Mr. Crayon would see them.

Bacchus, to give the toping world surprise,

Produced one sober son, and here he lies.

Though rear`d among full hogsheads, he defy`d

The charms of wine, and every one beside.

O reader, if to justice thou `rt inclined,

Keep honest Preston daily in thy mind.

He drew good wine, took care to fill his pots,

Had sundry virtues that excused his faults.

You that on Bacchus have the like dependence,

Pray copy Bob in measure and attendance.

This is an inscription which, as Irving says, is rife with excellent morality, so he has transcribed it for the admonition of delinquent tapsters. As the title suggest, he has ketp this inscription and he has done his reflexion on a Shakespeare's work