We can say the following about how Irving uses his two narrators to defend the tale's credibility and about his tone in the introductory passages:
- By using the fictional narrators Geoffrey Crayon and Diedrich Knickerbocker, Irving is able to distance himself from his own work. That adds to the credibility of the work because it makes it less likely to be biased.
Also, the fact that Crayon is the one talking about Knickerbocker's passion for describing human nature conveys confidence to readers that one narrator knows the other well.
- Irving's tone in the introductory passages is witty and ironical - a mix of humorous and serious.
Crayon is portraying Knickerbocker as someone could have spent his time doing more important things while, at the same time, saying his works have great authority.
- For the short story "Rip Van Winkle," author Washington Irving decided to take a step back and give a fictional historian the credit.
- The character he created, Diecrich Knickerbocker, is the one telling the story. And, what is more, the story's introduction is written by yet another character: Geoffrey Crayon.
- By doing so, Irving gives his work more credibility, as if other people, respectable people, are the ones writing and commenting about it.
- The introduction is filled with irony and wit. Crayon speaks seriously of matters that are humorous. That sets the tone for the story that will follow.
Learn more about Irving and "Rip Van Winkle"here:
https://brainly.com/question/14389121
