The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Night 6
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1820) By: Washington Irving

Impressions
Ichabod Crane is a schoolteacher in Tarry Town, New York near Sleepy Hollow, a secluded glen. He competes with the local hotshot Brom Bones over the heart of Katrina Van Tassel. However, in the countryside lurks a mysterious specter: the Headless Horseman.

This is a longer short story out of a collection of non-horror short stories, so I pulled this one since it's a classic. It features some dated descriptions with a lack of building tension. There is only horror at the beginning and at the end. The middle sets up the characters and shows Ichabod's situation leading up to his fateful encounter with the Horseman. It is always nice to get some solid characters out of a story.

Our Hero
Ichabod Crane is a superstitious schoolteacher from Connecticut. He's also quite the ladies' man, singer, and ghost story enthusiast. He's often described as a wuss (partly because of the Disney version), but I think this unfair since he does plenty of other things. The story does suggest he might be a coward, but there is a darker interpretation of the final ending.

Fickle Observers
Brom Bones is the mischievous tough guy, complete with posse, who rivals Ichabod for Katrina's affections. He is a bully and a braggart, but he plays it smart and isn't openly malicious. He claims to have raced the horseman and nearly won; however his reputation as a braggart takes credence for his tale. He's also one of the people who hint at the cowardly ghostless end of this tale, though his motives remain questionable.

Katrina is a coquette (flirt) whose father is well off. Other than having her sights set on improving her lot, she isn't described much personality wise, but she does seem like the type of girl guys would fight over. She has "vast ambitions" and "a provokingly short petticoat, to display the prettiest foot and ankle in the country round." Scandalous. Ichabod is mostly interested in her father's land anyway, though he wouldn't mind having several kids with her.

Inescapable Foe
The Headless Horseman is a classic foe described as a Hessian who was killed in the American Revolutionary War. He is among the first of the American created monsters and among the most enduring. He is menacing and unflinching. He will chase you to the ends of the earth if he chooses. Plus he throws pumpkins, badass!

Picturesque Atmosphere
Irving describes the countryside in beautiful detail. It paints a lush picture of New England that makes you want to visit. His descriptions of food (and there are a few) are enough to make anyone hungry.

In the End
There are several possible endings within the story, but the last one is the darkest is the most interesting. The others end it more as a bad romantic comedy and it builts to more than that. Either way, a happy ending it is not.

Overall
I could have done without the extra endings and been happier with the solid ghost tale, some great characters, and a sprawling setting. All this at under a hundred pages. It isn't scary, but it is well written and tense. I'd recommend it to anyone who loves classic short stories.
8/10

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