Answer: A transitional figure, Irving somewhat ironically contributed to America's literary independence while producing work that was distinctively European in content and style. Like his contemporary James Fenimore Cooper, Irving proved that Americans could write European literature as well as Europeans could
Explanation:
Answer: B) as a result
Explanation:
The meaning of the phrase "in consequence" is "as a result."
If something happens first, and something else happens afterwards in consequence, it happens as a result of the first event.
In this particular example, a man has lost his mind because of an event that is not mentioned, and has not been sane since then. His insanity is, therefore, a result (or a consequence) of that event. We can assume that the person described a traumatic event that the man experienced, and the other person replied with a question:<em> "And he lost his mind in consequence?"
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