The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Washington Irving
The town of Sleepy Hollow is described as having a dreamy quality to it. The narrator states it has a "listless repose" (993) and the townspeople are described as being of a "peculiar character" (993). Irving has created the perfect setting for a supernatural experience. The town seems to be "under the sway of some witching power, that holds a spell over the minds of the good people, causing them to walk in a continual reverie. They are given to all kinds of marvelous beliefs; have trances and visions, and see strange sights, and hear music and voices in the air" (993).
Ichabod Crane is the schoolmaster of the town. He is described as tall and lanky with "narrow shoulders, long arms and legs, hands that dangled a mile out of his sleeves, feet that might have served for shovels, and his whole frame most loosely hung together" (994).
English: Cloth Covered, Hard Bound Book, the Legen...
Ichabod pursued by the Headless Horseman
The Headless Horseman Pursuing Ichabod Crane. oil,...He is also said to have a small, flat head with big eyes and big green eyes with a long nose. Crane is compared to a weather vane and a scarecrow. Due to his appearance the reader views Ichabod as a clownish looking man with questionable intelligence and a meager education. He is ridiculous looking and unduly proud of his educational background. Most likely that background merely consists of being able to read and write.
While the title of the story is "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," I feel as though that aspect of it, the legend, is hardly addressed. The tale consists mostly of a description of Ichabod Crane and the community of Sleepy Hollow. The legend that the title refers to appears to be the Headless Horseman who, as legend dictates, haunts the town. I find it interesting that the...