Suspended animation in fiction which is indistinguishable from death. In American fiction, the first story to deal with suspended animation is the tale of Rip Van Winkle, a short story by American author Washington Irving published in 1819 as well as the name of the story's fictional protagonist. In the story, a British subject in the American colonies wanders into the Catskill Mountains in the years before the American Revolutionary War, and finds a group of fairies, whose moonshine he drinks. He then falls asleep for 20 years, and returns to his village in what is now the United States, finding his home town
Rip Van Winkle (1910 film) depicted it with close adherence to the facts as they are related in the original. The stage manager understood what was required to make the background appear natural, while the photographer handled the camera with full knowledge of the requirements." "The New York Dramatic Mirror" reviewer also agreed and commended the film by stating, "The Thanhouser Company has done very well with this old legend, paying particular attention to details. ... The acting is exceptionally good for a story representing that era of time, and the adaption is very clear to the spectator." Rip Van Winkle (1910 film) Rip Van