TEXT C Washington Irving was
America’s first man of letters to be known inter nationally. His works were
received enthusiastically both in England and in the United States. He was, in
fact, one of the most successful writers of his time in either country,
delighting a large general public and at the same time winning the admiration of
fellow writers like Scott in Britain and Poe and Hawthorne in the United States.
The respect in which he was held was partly owing to the man himself, with his
warm friendliness, his good sense, his urbanity, his spirits, his artistic
integrity, his love of both the Old World and the New. Thackery described Irving
as’ a gentleman, who, though himself born in no very high sphere, was most
finished, polished, witty; socially the equal of the most refined Europeans. ’
In England he was granted an honorary degree from Oxford--an unusual honor for a
citizen of a young, uncultured nation--and he received the medal of the Royal
Society of Literature; America made him ambassador to Spain.
Irving’s background provides little to explain his literary achievements.
A gifted but deliberate child, he had little schooling. He studied law, but
without zeal, and never did practice seriously. He was immune to his strict
Presbyterian home environment, frequenting both social gatherings and the
theatre. What can be said about Irving’s law career
A．Irving only began to practice law late in life. B．It was so successful that he won an ambassadorship. C．He was an expert on commercial law. D．He spent very little time working as a lawyer.