The flowery language used in "Rip Van Wrinkle" reminded me of Thomas Hardy's writing style in "Far From the Madding Crowd." In "Far From the Madding Crowd," Hardy uses poetic, descriptive language to illustrate the settings and environs where Bathsheba and Gabriel live. In "Rip Van Wrinkle," Washington Irving evokes similar imagery to depict the landscape of colonial America. Particularly when the mountains make an appearance they have an ethereal quality about them. The concept of Rip Van Wrinkle falling asleep for two decades and having the Revolutionary War pass by reminds me of the plot of "The Story of Urashima Taro, the Fisher Lad," a classic Japanese fairytale. In that story a boy disappears for a longer period of time, but also through magical means. The adventure of Rip Van Wrinkle's was bewitching and peculiar.