49 pages • 1 hour read
Washington IrvingThe Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Washington IrvingFiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1820A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Story Analysis
Analysis: “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” has become a classic ghost story, but the Headless Horseman legend did not originate with Washington Irving. Versions of the Headless Horseman have existed since the Middle Ages. They have appeared in Grimm’s fairy tales, Dutch and Irish folklore, and 19th-century German literature. It is not known how Irving came to know the legend, but placing the figure in a Dutch community aligns with its cultural origins. Ultimately, the legend is designed to warn against otherness among these small, often ethnically defined villages. In this case, Ichabod, an outsider attempting to gain access by controlling the education of the local children and wishing to marry the most eligible maiden, is chased away by the last unsuccessful outsider, the Hessian Horseman.
Irving creates a parallel structure that adds tension to the story. Ichabod is, in many ways, the opposite of the Headless Horseman. Ichabod is physically awkward, unintimidating, and nonconfrontational. He is a poor rider, and his lack of horsemanship is one of the keys to his downfall. Brom Bones and the Headless Horseman are physically imposing and skilled riders. These details lend credence to one version of the story’s ending, which implies that the Headless Horseman who chased Plus, gain access to 8,650+ more expert-written Study Guides. Including features:
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