Washington Irving, "Legends of Sleepy Hollow": a summary

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The legends of Sleepy Hollow refer to an incredible array of tales of a Headless Horseman who is doomed to wander until he finds his severed head. One of these stories was once recorded by W. Irving. This article will be devoted to this work.

About the book

"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a short story by the famous American romantic writer Washington Irving. The work was written during the life of the author in the small English town of Birmingham. And first published in 1820.

The plot is based on a German fairy tale, which became popular among the Dutch after the events of the revolutionary war in the state of New York. Initially, the author of the literary version of the legend was the German writer Karl Museus, who collected folklore material among his people.

Washington Irving tells the story of the headless horseman from the perspective of a certain Dietrich Knickerbocker, deceased at the time of publication. It is in his papers that they find a description of this strange story, which was circulatedmany rumors during his youth. Dietrich himself is convinced that all the legends about the mysterious riders do not lie.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Summary

The story begins around 1790 in the small Dutch settlement of Tarrytown, located on the banks of the Hudson. Not far from the village there is a quiet and serene hollow, which was called Sleepy because of the phlegmatic and lazy disposition of its inhabitants.

It is as if a spell has been cast on this place, which clouds the consciousness of local inhabitants, preventing them from leaving the world of dreams, in which they reside both in a dream and in reality. But the minds of the inhabitants of the hollow are filled with inexhaustible tales of wicked and cursed places, ghost stories and ancient superstitions. But the main character, without whom almost no story can do, is the Headless Horseman.

Horseman Story

The main character of the legend of Sleepy Hollow is the Headless Horseman. According to rumors, he is the shadow of a Hessian cavalryman who had his head blown off by a cannonball during a battle. His body was buried in the church cemetery, and the spirit cannot rest until it finds and returns its head.

Icabot Crane

In the same valley a few years ago, according to Dietrich Nickerbocker, lived Icabot Crane, a poor village teacher. This was a clumsy and lanky guy who was very conscientious about his teaching profession. The young man was convinced that rods only spoil the child, and in all faultschildren should repent on their own, without prodding from adults. This is the man who will have to face the most terrible character of the legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Ikabot combined such somewhat opposite qualities as innocence and slyness. The young man liked to show off his education, especially in the company of pretty girls, but at the same time he was very devout and was a member of the church choir. Despite his thinness, Crane was very fond of delicious food and never denied himself this pleasure. And his favorite book was Cotton Mather's History of Witchcraft in New England. He reread it so often that at the end he could quote it from anywhere.

Love

"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a story that also has a love line that is connected with Ichabod Crane. So, the young man had an object of sighing - Katrina von Tassel, a beauty and the only daughter of a we althy farmer. The favor of this girl was sought by all the local boys. The main rival of Ichabod was a strong and courageous village boy Brom Bonet, who was distinguished by a mischievous nature.

Holiday

Somehow Ichabod was invited to a feast at the van Tassel house. Wanting to look decent, the young man cleaned his old black suit, combed his hair carefully, looking into a piece of an old broken mirror, and begged the owner of the house where he rented a room for a decrepit, incredibly stubborn horse.

Brom Bon was also invited to the party. This joker and mischievous, who came toa black horse with a disposition to match the owner, quickly became the soul of the company. Crane himself paid more attention to all kinds of treats. Tasting different dishes, he thought dreamily about how one day he would marry Katrina and take full ownership of her father's farm.

Washington Irving describes in great detail and naturalistically the life of a provincial village and its inhabitants. Communication, behavior, customs - nothing escaped the attention of the writer. After the treats, the dancing begins. However, Ichabod does not participate in the general fun, keeping aloof.

After the dance is over, all the guests gather together and begin to tell scary stories about ghosts and otherworldly forces. Brom did not stand aside. The young rake begins the story of how he once met the Headless Horseman at night. Brom was not at all afraid of the ghost, but offered to "measure in the race." If the Horseman won, then the young man promised to present him with a bowl of punch. Bon almost defeated the Hessian, but on the church bridge he pulled ahead and suddenly, scattered in fiery flashes, disappeared.

When the holiday ended, Ichabod deliberately lingered, looking for a meeting with Katrina. However, their conversation was brief, and the young man did not have time to confess. The young man had to leave without a s alty slurp.

Rider

Irving continues his story about the Headless Horseman. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is coming to its climax. Ichabod goes home in despondency, but then he notices a huge rider on a powerful black horse. The young man guides his old horse forward in fear,trying to break away from the terrible satellite. But the unknown rider is not far behind.

At some point, the moon illuminated a black silhouette against the night sky. Then Crane saw that his pursuer's head was not on his shoulders, but was strapped to the pommel of the saddle.

Despite his old age, Crane's horse raced at full speed. However, in the middle of the ravine, the girth loosened, and the saddle slipped from the animal. Ichabod briefly thought about how angry the owner would be when he learned about the loss of his property. But the thought didn't last long in the young man's head. He recalled the story of Brom, in which he described how the rider was dispelled. So the young man raced towards the church bridge.

Suddenly, the rider got up in the stirrups, grabbed his head and launched it at Ichabod. The shell hit the young man's skull exactly, and he fell off his horse, losing consciousness.

Decoupling

The story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" comes to an end. The book of an outstanding American writer brings us back to its main character - Ichabod Crane.

In the morning, the old horse, borrowed by the young man, returned to the master's house without a saddle and a rider. The search began immediately, during which the townspeople first discovered a broken saddle, and already behind the church bridge - Ichabod's hat and a pumpkin smashed to smithereens. The locals consulted and came to a disappointing conclusion - Crane was carried away by the Headless Horseman.

A few years have passed since this event, and one of the locals went tobusiness in New York. When he returned, he said that he had seen their former teacher, that he was alive and well. Ichabod became a politician and deputy, wrote notes for newspapers, and at the end of his days became a justice of the peace.

As for Brom Brons, this mischievous young man married Katrina. And when the story about the disappearance of Ichabod Crane began to be told in his presence, he smiled slyly, and when the story reached the pumpkin, he began to laugh.

This is the end of the legend of Sleepy Hollow as Irving told it.