This research monograph breaks new ground in discussing (in English) the impact of Washington Irving s presence in Spain and the effect of his writings on Spanish topics by Spain s critics and general readership. Spanish critics, scholars and translators were and are active in assessing Irving s literary style, scholarly grasp and cultural influence. This work seeks to examine Irving s influence and his discovery of Islamic Al-Andalus (Irving was the first American to seriously study Mahomet (Muhammad),the Koran and write about his findings). Wallhead locates Irving s literary and historical researches in the troubled, chaotic post-Napoleonic Spain of Ferdinand V11 and discusses the earliest Iberian reaction to Irving s books. Professor Wallhead s study includes four parts: 1.The legacy of Irving in today s Spain: the bibliography, the cultural extension, the Washington Irving industry, tourist and travel literature. 2.Influences and sources: early-mid 19c Spain...Andalusia, Seville and the roots of the southern romance . 3.His Spanish writings. Fiction (Tales of the Alhambra),Documentary and biographical studies: The Conquest of Granada, Mahomet, and Christopher Columbus. 4.Conclusions. A much needed study of Irving and his discontented (as well as his laudatory) critics. Somehow the Spanish reception of Irving and his work has never had the prominence it deserves and Irving has never received the study he deserves for his pioneering work on Islam. Professor Paul du Quenoy, AU,Cairo Market: Washington Irving, American Literature,19th c., Literary History, Cultural Studies, Spanish Literature/literature in translation,19th-20th c.,Andalucia, Islam in Spain, Islamic Studies
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