The brief tale of a lazy, henpecked, and otherwise unremarkable man named Rip. 
 Amid is valiant avoidance of all things that resemble responsibility, Rip encounters some supernatural fellows in the Catskill mountains and partakes in some questionable drink. He wakes 20 years later to a world completely changed in his absence. (He entirely misses the Revolutionary war and the birth of the United States of America!) 
 Talk about culture shock. 
 I'd seen or heard a 10-minute retelling here or there throughout my childhood, but never actually read the story itself until now. I hadn't gleaned the fact that Rip Van Winkle was a first-class slacker. His passive avoidance of all adult responsibilities, and the continual but fruitless nagging of his wife, points to a dysfunction on both a personal and inter-relational level. But Rip isn't an altogether bad guy, it seems. His first instinct is to help others, regardless of if he knows them--though doing so may be in part an avoidance of tending to his own affairs. 
 We don't learn much about Dame Van Winkle. True, her worst attributes seem to be the insistence she has on forcing her husband to be any kind of decent provider for his family. Yet, she is also, apparently, the kind of woman who is aggressively negative enough that even Rip's dog is terrified of her. I would have liked to form my own opinion, but readers aren't given much by way of direct interaction with the infamous woman. 
 There isn't really any character growth in Rip by the story's end. Although, his general situation and satisfaction with life seems much improved after his unexplained 20-year hiatus and the subsequent death of his wife. If there's some sort of moral to be had, I'm afraid it's escaped me. But in terms of entertainment value, I wasn't disappointed. 
 The pacing is a little variable--as are the descriptions. Some things are skipped over completely, while others are dwelt on with vivid intensity. Overall the style is palatable and pleasing. It's little wonder that Irving's lilting prose continues to hold interest, even to this day.