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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Washington Irving

Start date: October 1, 2016

Finish date: October 31, 2016

Why we're reading this: October 2016 Old School Group Read
[close] October 2016 Old School Group Read

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Oct 12, 2016 Candi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics-shelf, horror-creepy, kindle-book-i-own

This little treasure was simply delightful! Quite honestly, I didn’t expect to enjoy it quite so much. I’ve seen the various movie adaptations over the years and figured there wasn’t really anything more to be gained by reading this short story. I was wrong – the eloquence of the written word brought the legend up to a whole other level for me.

Everyone is probably familiar with the tale of the Headless Horseman and the little valley of Sleepy Hollow, situated near the small town of Tarry Town, This little treasure was simply delightful! Quite honestly, I didn’t expect to enjoy it quite so much. I’ve seen the various movie adaptations over the years and figured there wasn’t really anything more to be gained by reading this short story. I was wrong – the eloquence of the written word brought the legend up to a whole other level for me.

Everyone is probably familiar with the tale of the Headless Horseman and the little valley of Sleepy Hollow, situated near the small town of Tarry Town, New York. The descriptions of the countryside were remarkably vivid and evoked such a lovely image and feeling of autumn in New York, a personal favorite time of year. Ichabod Crane is well-known to those familiar with early American literature. You need not have seen the Disney movie to picture this oddball of a figure! Washington Irving draws an image of a somewhat ungainly fellow who is a bit of a freeloader and a fortune hunter. He is well-versed in Cotton Mather’s “History of New England Witchcraft”, and, like the rest of the village folk, is not immune to superstitions and the thrill of tall tales. A wonderful description of Sleepy Hollow and its inhabitants really exemplifies the expressiveness of the prose:

"Certain it is, the place still continues 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, are subject to trances and visions, and frequently see strange sights, and hear music and voices in the air. The whole neighborhood abounds with local tales, haunted spots, and twilight superstitions; stars shoot and meteors glare oftener across the valley than in any other part of the country, and the nightmare, with her whole ninefold, seems to make it the favorite scene of her gambols. 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."

What happens to those with a lively imagination? You’ll have to take this wild ride through the valley with Ichabod to find out. You most likely won’t tremble with fear, but you may become just a wee bit spooked by the dark phantom. Even if you don’t feel the least bit rattled, you will be entertained! You may even muster up a little chuckle, just like my old pal Brom Bones who always managed a laugh whenever this story was re-told.
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