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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

by Washington Irving

“The dominant spirit, however, that haunts this enchanted region and seems to be commander in chief of all the powers of the air, is the apparition of a figure on horseback without a head. It is said by some to be the ghost of a Hessian trooper, whose head had been carried away by a cannon ball, in some nameless battle during the revolutionary war, and who is ever and anon seen by the country folk, hurrying along in the gloom of night, as if on the wings of the wind.”

“Sleepy Hollow” was originally published as one of the serial installments of Irving’s work The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon in 1819 and 1820. It is perhaps his best known work, save for “Rip Van Winkle”. It is my absolute favorite work of fiction without question.

I love his language: there is something magical about the way he weaves words together in such a richly descriptive, folksy way. How could you not smile reading about Ichabod Crane who might have been mistaken for, “the genius of famine descending upon the earth, or some scarecrow eloped from a cornfield”? (Favorite line!)

I love the legend: Brom Bones and Katrina Van Tassel, the poor superstitious pedagogue who falls victim to the local rumors of the Horseman. It’s simple: a tiny, rural town afflicted by dark fireside tales, populated by locals who fear a vengeful spirit.

I love the tone: this is a story in which modern day gore has no place. It’s colloquial and quiet, mysterious, and just spooky enough to give you a happy little chill. I love the sense of tradition and love the ambiguity at the end: we never know if Ichabod was chased away by the Horseman, or Brom Bones in costume.

My hokey love for ghost stories can be blamed on “Sleepy Hollow”. For me, it’s the consummate folk tale. The Tim Burton film version is fun, the Disney cartoon is extremely accurate (and cute and narrated by Bing Crosby). But nothing can touch the original, written word.

“[On] the bank of a broad part of the brook, where the water ran deep and black, was found the hat of the unfortunate Ichabod, and close beside it, a shattered pumpkin.”