Folk Tale Characteristics in the Legend of Sleepy Hollow Essays

Folk Tale Characteristics in the Legend of Sleepy Hollow The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is one of the most well-known stories in American literature, and with good reason. Throughout his story, Washington Irving uses many stylistic ideas to create a fantastically detailed and descriptive romantic folk tale. Irving begins The Legend of Sleepy Hollow with a vivid description of the setting of his story. Beginning with the Dutch history of the area, he goes on to describe the town as "one of the quietest places in the whole world", with a tranquil brook running through it and the sweet sounds of chirping birds all around (1). Irving delves into the town's history, citing Indian legends which say that the town is "bewitched", and that those who live there often have their eyes and ears play tricks on them (1). His focus in this description is to give the history of a little sleepy town, using an element of romanticism to choose his peaceful, remote setting, and paying special attention to the nature and native legends of the area. He spices up his story with many other examples of this local color, such as the details of Baltus Van Tassel's farm. His land is described as being "one of those green, sheltered, fertile nooks in which the Dutch farmers are so fond of nesting," with elms, alders, dwarf willows, and a well which contained the sweetest, softest water imaginable (5). This description of the land also ties into the traditional romantic technique of having a person's house represent the character of that person. Baltus Van Tassel is directly characterized as "a perfect picture of a thriving, contented, libral-hearted farmer" (5). Si... ... gives him the dancing skills of St. Vitus, patron of the dance. As he is courting Katrina on the dance floor, Brom Bones is left brooding in the corner. This again pokes fun at the traditional sense of romanticism, because one would think that it would be Brom who would be wooing Katrina at the party. Through these tiny, laughable moments in his story, Irving brings a light, playful tone to the drowsy, dreamy, deeply romantic Sleepy Hollow. It is through the ample and skillful use of these stylistic ideas that Washington Irving is able to weave the characteristics of a folk tale such as humor, hearsay, and local color together to create a deliciously romantic story of nature, love, and supernatural events. Irving, Washington. "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Ed. Illustrated Arthur Rackham. United States: David McKay, 1928.