Washington Irving Essay

In “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, Washington Irving prominently illustrates the power of imagination. Ichabod being rather foolish and comedic protagonist explains the strength of his thoughts, despite that this leads him to his downfall. In spite of the fact that Ichabod’s main pleasure is to either hear or read stories about demons, ghosts, and witches; however, since he has powerful imagination making him believe that almost everything is supernatural. His creative ability in its fantasizing capacity does, in any case, truly influence his life in that it fortifies his barrenness. ‘Ichabod 's creative ability is powerful to the point that he trusts himself basically as of now the proprietor of the Van Tassel cultivate ‘(Hoffman, 426). Since he gets such a

Washington Irving’s, the author of the story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, uses imagery throughout the story to interpret the setting and mood of the story. At the beginning of the story, Erving uses suspenseful imagery to describe the location of the valley that he lives in as one of the quietest places on earth . He ackno in the story “Not far from this village, perhaps about two miles down the road, there is a little valley or lap of land among the hills, which is one of the quietest places in the world.” The main character Ichabod Crane is a school teacher, Erving the author uses imagery in such a way to give the readers the full effect of what his classroom looks like. “His schoolhouse was a low building of one large room, rudely constructed of logs; the windows partly glazed, and partly patched with leaves of old copybooks,” he says this in such a way that the reader can imagine the school room as if they were there and it adds suspense to the rest of the story. Washington Irving set the mood of thrilling suspense and the spooky setting of a quiet town by using imagery throughout his story of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, written by Washington Irving, fits nicely into the Romanticism period due to its eloquent descriptions and detail to the nature around the village, the attention and focus on the main character and the addition of ghost stories and superstitions. These pieces come together to build a story of conflict and adventure. To further describe how all of the pieces fit together, we must first begin with the author. Washington Irving, born in 1783, was a well-traveled and well-educated young man. He dabbled in the areas of law, family business and even a diplomat for Spain but found the most success in his writing. Irving was considered the first author to write American Short Stories (Irving Biography). The two he is most well-known for is Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was written in 1819, contains elements from light romanticism and humor (Dincer 219). The piece is about a young man by the name of Ichabod Crane whom tries to win the heart of a young lady by the name of Katrina Van Tassel. This story takes place in a small rural

One of the main values looked at in Irving’s short story is the difference between the natural and supernatural. There is a huge contrast throughout the story of this and this mainly has to do with the setting. Irving looks at the natural setting of Sleepy Hollow compared to the supernatural thoughts of the residents. “… Or tapping of a woodpecker, is almost the only sound that every breaks in upon the uniform of tranquillity.” (Irving, 1820) and “… That holds a spell over the minds of the good people.” (Irving, 1820) are both two quotes that show the contrast between the natural and supernatural. With out both aspects it would change dramatically the setting, characters and plot of the story. Similarly to the themes in Burton’s adaption of Sleepy Hollow the values are much darker and eerie compared with those in Irving’s original. One thing both versions have in common is the value of the difference between supernatural and natural. Although it is looked at in a different way Burton still has it reoccurring throughout the film. In the film the whole idea and the actually reality of the headless horseman is all very supernatural and not very realistic although the rest of the movie has more of a natural feel to it. The setting is used to show the supernatural and natural values, as without the particular atmosphere that Burton has created it would not come across of

The description that he had the dilating powers of an anaconda, is not only an exaggeration, but is a comparison of the amount he eats to that of an anaconda, a metaphor. Metaphor and exaggeration, when used in the same context, is a hyperbole. The use of large exaggeration in Irving’s writing, leads to the development of

The short story I have chosen to read by Washington Irving is 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.'; This story takes place in a little village on the Hudson River which by some is called Greensburgh, but which is more generally known as Tarry Town. The main character in the story, Ichabod Crane, who 'tarried'; in Sleepy Hollow came about for the purpose of instructing the children of the vicinity. The main point of the story began with the arrival of a Negro with an invitation to Ichabod to attend a party at the Van Tassel's mansion. After receiving the good news, Ichabod fixed up his best and only suit and borrowed a horse from Hans Van Ripper, in order to impress Mynheer Van Tassel's daughter, Katrina. He did so

The original story by Washington Irving starts out in a small town of Sleepy Hollow. Irving paints an image of bountiful crops, beautiful scenery, and

In Washington Irving’s short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” the conflict between Enlightenment and Romantic ideals is narrativized. Irving’s story is an exploration of the conflict between these two schools of thought. Irving uses his setting, his characters, and his “moral” (or lack thereof) to critique the Enlightenment. At first reading, “Sleepy Hollow” may seem no more than a dreamy folk tale. But when read in the context of the emerging resistance to Enlightenment thinking, it reveals itself to be a striking denunciation of the ideals of the Enlightenment.

In Rip Van Winkle, Irving shows his doubts in the American Identity and the American dream. After the Revolutionary war, America was trying to develop its own course. They were free to govern their own course of development; however, some of them had an air of uncertainties on their own identity in this new country. Irving was born among this generation in the newly created United States of America, and also felt uncertainty about the American identity. Irving might be the writer that is the least positive about being an American. The main reason for this uncertainty is the new born American has no history and tradition while the Europe has a great one accumulated for thousands of years. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, Irving

In A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving uses literary devices including allusions, characterization, and motifs to establish his theme that stress the importance of faith and the acceptance of fate.

Washington Irving found inspiration for his short story in the German legend of Faust, which was a story of a man making

"Rip Van Winkle" has been a well-known story told throughout time. There is not a doubt that as a child, many of you heard the words of Washington Irving's famous tale of the man who slept for twenty years. Nor can one forget the "elves" that Rip Van Winkle spent the night with in the amphitheater. Like many stories, Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" has been told so many times throughout American history that it has lost its original purpose. The story is now remembered for its fairy tale like quality and its appeal to the children and the young at heart. However, when given the chance to delve into the depths of what Irving was trying to portray, one may see the

To begin with, Washington Irving uses imagery to clearly illustrate the story’s development, immersing the reader into what is happening and causing them to feel suspense as they walk through various events together with Ichabod. For example, as Ichabod returns home from the party, Irving portrays his horrifying surroundings, describing Ichabod as a solitary figure in the “dead hush of

The historical context urges the Irving’s great tale into the world of American mythology. Another example of the impact of mythological setting lies near the beginning of the plot arch. Rip goes up into the Kaatskill Mountains to hunt; a place that Irving depicts as remote in the following excerpt from the story: “Rip had unconsciously scrambled to one of the highest parts of the Kaatskill Mountains…and the still solitude had echoed.” The isolation that Rip had while in the mountains, where he would later sleep for twenty years, impacts the reader. It shows the reader the reason why nobody ever found him, as well as evoking a deeper emotion and concern for Rip as he slept out there all alone. Emotions find themselves imbedded in this mythology once again.

Washington Irving was born in 1783 and died in 1859. He was the first American writer to receive an international literary reputation through his works, “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” He was also known as one of the inventors of modern short story and was able to financially support himself as a writer. He usually wrote comical pieces, but produced works with darker themes based on historical context. As for the historical context of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” it was based on the aftermath of the Revolutionary War, between America and Great Britain. Some historical elements featured the Headless Horseman, which was supposedly a Hessian. The Hessians were hired to aid the British in the war. The supernatural stories served as a reminder of the war and told by those who were traumatized. In Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod Crane is a schoolteacher who takes an interest in the wealthiest man’s daughter, Katrina