preview

The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow

Decent Essays

“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”
Sleepy Hollow is a small Dutch town in rural New York. The women of these Dutch communities sit around their spinning wheels telling each other folklore and legends. One of these legends is about a Hessian soldier who got his head shot clean off by a cannon-ball in the Civil War. Every night he goes out to look for his head. This is what a female story looks like during the 1800’s. Focuses on legends and myths that the women can talk about during their gossip. However, a masculine story usually is about a hero who saves the day. Washington irving combines the two types of stories. In “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, the main character, Ichabod Crane, is given feminine characteristics to create mock-heroic irony and compare male and female storytelling.
Ichabod’s actions and characteristics are feminine. He is tells ghost stories, has no courage, and is easily tricked. These traits are how Irving creates mock-heroic irony in Ichabod. Ichabod Crane is a feminine character in both clear and hidden ways. Both his manner and his everyday life represent women in the 1800’s. “Virtually every mention of Ichabod’s literary propensities employs a tone of mock-heroic irony”(Daigrepont 3). One thing that might not be noticed as feminine is that he is a schoolteacher. A schoolteacher is one of the only jobs that can be filled by both men and women in the 1800’s. Even Ichabod’s mannerisms when he teaches represents most female teachers, such as only whip the

Get Access