The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Washington Irving
- First Published: 1819
- Type of Work: Short story
- Genres: Short fiction, Folklore
- Subjects: Teaching or teachers, New York, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., United States or Americans, Class conflict, Love or romance, Superstition, Ghosts or apparitions, Poverty or poor people, Jealousy, envy, or resentment, Fear, Eighteenth century, Inheritance or succession, Legends, Folklore, Hallucinations or illusions, Bridges
- Locales: New York, Tarry Town, NY
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” represents Irving's second comic masterpiece, a ghostly tale about things that go bump in the night. The specter in question here is the mysterious Headless Horseman, said to be a Hessian trooper who lost his head in a nearby battle. Each night he roams the countryside in search of it. The unlikely hero in this tale is Ichabod Crane, an itinerant schoolmaster, whose name suits him perfectly: “He was tall, but exceedingly lank, with narrow shoulders, long arms and legs, hands that dangled a mile out of his sleeves, feet that might have served for...
[The entire page is 1063 words long]
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