American Literature / Unit 6 AML 0508 short lesson, about 20 seconds
"Rip Van Winkle" as a Fable of the Revolution
Captions available
The idea
Rip sleeps through the Revolution and wakes into a republic he did not choose, which is the story's joke and its argument. The village has grown noisier and more political, and Rip, who wanted only to be left alone, becomes a relic and a storyteller.
In practice
A revolution slept through.
Where people slip
The change arrives as a new signboard.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
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