Some scholars suggest Irving’s tale may have been inspired by folk stories he heard during his time abroad. Irving wrote “Legend” while living in England. Was Ichabod’s encounter with a true ghost? Or was he the victim of a cruel prank? The next day Ichabod cannot be found, but the villagers discover his horse and the remains of a pumpkin, leaving the reader to speculate as to what happened. The horseman gives chase and just as Ichabod reaches safety, the horseman throws what appears to be his head at the schoolteacher. Overwhelmed by fear and all the spooky tales he has heard, Ichabod flees, hoping to reach the security of the nearby bridge and churchyard. Tension builds between Brom and Ichabod until one dark autumn night when Ichabod, riding along a lonely wooded road, finds himself with a ghostly headless companion.

Ichabod’s gangling appearance and odd habits, as well as his obvious attraction to Katrina, make him an easy target for Katrina’s other suitor, Brom Bones, the swaggering village “blade” in Irving’s description. Ichabod Crane, an itinerant schoolteacher, falls for Katrina Van Tassel, the pretty daughter of a prosperous local family. “Legend” possesses elements of a thriller, but at the heart of the tale is a love triangle set in Sleepy Hollow on the shore of the Hudson River at the turn of the 19th century. From shortly after the story’s first publication until today, the story has inspired creative works: illustrations, paintings, sculpture, music, films, television shows, even advertising. The characters, setting, and events come alive through Irving’s descriptions, and artists of all types have used the story for source material.

For nearly 200 years, the story has captured the imagination of both children and adults. Beloved by generations of readers, Washington Irving’s “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” ranks among the classics of American literature.Īlthough it is one of Irving’s shortest works, it has had a long life since it first was published in 1820.

Irving the legend of sleepy hollow