by Moe Zilla

Created on: January 12, 2009   Last Updated: February 27, 2009

"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" described the headless horseman prowling the night in a small town in New York. But it's important to remember that the short story is about the legend itself - and how it affected the unlucky school teacher who heard it!

Ichabod Crane was a traveling schoolmaster, and he's come to small Tarrytown to educate their children. "He was tall, but exceedingly lank, with narrow shoulders, long arms and legs," writes Washington Irving, and he seems to enjoy describing this important local figure in the most ludicrous possible way. ("[H]ands that dangled a mile out of his sleeves, feet that might have served for shovels...") It's a humorous piece, about an outsider who stirs resentment among some of the townspeople. In fact, it's one of 34 pieces capturing local stories that Irving first published together under his humorous writing pseudonym, Geoffrey Crayon.

"I was always fond of visiting new scenes, and observing strange characters and manners," Irving writes (as Crayon) in the first chapter of "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent." Sure enough, the pieces in the book describe the American Indians, English customs for celebrating Christmas, and even a visit to the Netherlands. The book also includes the famous story of Rip Van Winkle, claming it was "found among the papers of the late Diedrich Knickerbocker, an old gentleman of New York, who was very curious in the Dutch history of the province..." It's not until the second-last entry that he describes Ichabod's ill-fated visit to Tarrytown - offering yet-another colorful sketch, this time of life in rural America.

So what happens to Ichabod? He'd made himself at home in the community, joining in games with the students, "and on holiday afternoons would convoy some of the smaller ones home, who happened to have pretty sisters, or good housewives for mothers, noted for the comforts of the cupboard." He's particularly smitten with Katrina Van Tassel - and the beautiful farm that she lives on. He wants to marry her - although he may just be smitten by her family's luscious farmland. Irving does a wonderful job describing the particulars of the Van Tassel estate...but also points out that Ichabod has many rivals for Katrina's hands. And it's a burly horseman known as Brom Bones who will play a fateful role. The big night comes when the Van Tassels host a fancy party - and then Irving describes the legendary headless ghost for which the village was famous.

There's several paragraphs describing

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>