The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow And Other Stories (1999) - Plot & Excerpts
It's been a long time since I had the pleasure of sitting down and reading pieces of literature written in a time before these last couple of decades, and this one did not disappoint. Mind you, while I'm reading this for my American Literature of the 19th Century class (English Major~ Who'd have guessed it~), it's a really delicious experience to be able to put down the more rampant outlandish stories that so often capture the minds of the youths today and read something that was trying to establish--for the very first time in our history as a country--a train of literature that could be truly called "American." For that single reason, it's a little taste of wonder to go back to these several short stories that became such well known legends in our culture (some that I admit I never knew of as well~) and see what people wrote on the brink of our beginnings as a nation.Yet even to put aside the relationship of this small book's worth in the development of a nation and its establishment of a strain of literature all its own, this is a really fun and enjoyable piece of fiction to read. It's refreshing to put aside all the fantasies that we're used to hearing about, and the pathetic attempts at portraying romance in some "cool" and "sexy" (more like "redundant and grotesquely pathetic") way, and just enjoy plain works that have elements of all of the above and more. Adventure, mysticism, the passing of ages, the call and devotion of love, the fits of passion and miscarriage of rage~ There are so many HUMAN and wonderfully engaging themes to this little collection of stories written by Washington Irving! You don't have to like all of them, but each of them has its own little world and fanciful, charming tale that it weaves for you, easily and quickly fretting you along its bends and easygoing ways.Irving's work is not difficult to read, for all that his language does give away its age at times. His works are for the most part simple and to the point, with the exception that he--like many of the characters he writes--tend to get carried away on whims of fancy and completely engulf themselves in their own passions. *Laughs* But it's an enjoyable thing in every story! Even when I found myself rolling my eyes or shaking my head, I still read the story, because each one of them contained a smidgeon of something that captured my interest and kept me going just a little bit further. His plots are all quite simple to follow. There's nothing bewildering or confusing, even though most of them have a few mysterious elements thrown in there for a while. But most of those are unraveled before long, and the one time he took me on a journey from one story to another to another, only to shock me with a surprise ending in finding the stories were all related, I was awed with wonder at how he expertly swung all these seemingly unrelated tales fully around and linked them together to form a delightful loop! He is, if nothing else, a masterful executor of language, and his storytelling, whether the subjects seem to be up your alley or not, is almost continuously enjoyable!In just under two hundred pages, we get thirteen different stories, and I must say that while some dragged a little, there were quite a few that really caught the imagination or spoke to the emotions and the engaged mind! Irving has a spectacular manner of making things that can be so dated still remain absolutely charming outside their time period, and it is only emphasized by my playful attitude while reading his works. While more than a few of them carry a message, and some beautifully philosophize, we still have that amiable storyteller sitting there before us, telling us his tales of all kinds, yet never losing that same enjoyable quality that made this such a pleasant read. And just for the record, my favorite stories would have to be "Rip Van Winkle," "The Mutability of Literature," "The Wife," and then the string of stories that all lead into one another: "Adventure of the Mysterious Stranger," "The Adventure of My Uncle," "The Adventure of My Aunt," and lastly "The Story of the Young Italian." *Laughs* Seven out of thirteen! Guess I really did enjoy this read for the greater part! And these are only the ones that I loved! The others were still really enjoyable too!It's a fun read, guys. If you're looking for something a little out of the century and common themes, and you're into legends and old folklore (or things from the 19th Century~), then definitely pick this little book up. It's a read that teaches you while you enjoy it, and your vocabulary and mind will thank you for it~! You can so easily have fun with these simple tales, and engage with what's going on. Was it super-spectacular and amazing to me? Not just quite~ But was it a great read regardless? Yeah, it definitely was. :3 Come on! Check it out! A hundred and seventy pages can't hurt you! People read absolute DIRT that's twice as long as that and only zaps brain space instead of increasing it. *Chuckles* Take up this book definitely. It's a skip and a trip~! I think you'll enjoy it as much as I did! ^__^ At the very least, I sure do hope so~!
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow starts off with the narrator describing the town of Sleepy Hollow. The mood is set perfectly, the small town is said to be haunted and the townspeople believe there is such a thing as the Headless Horseman.Enter Ichabod Crane, who is a schoolteacher and arrives at Sleepy Hollow from Connecticut to teach the townchildren. Ichabod is described as being tall and lanky, with his clothes too large for his thin frame. He also enjoyed reading, singing and flirting with the townswomen. He spent winter evenings with the old Dutch wives and loved to hear them tell ghost stories. When he meets Katrina Van Tassel, he likes her right away. However, Katrina is being courted by Brom Van Brunt, a young man well known for being mischevious.When there is a party at the Van Tassel home and the whole town is invited, Ichabod is more than happy to go. Ichabod hopes that one day he will marry Katrina and he will inherit the Van Tassel property. As the night goes on with dancing and drinking, the townspeople begin to tell thier ghost stories. And invetiably, they begin to tell stories about The Headless Horseman.Once the night is over and everyone starts to go home, Ichabod stays behind to speak to Katrina. When he is done, he leaves, walking home alone late at night. He begins to pass a few of the places where the ghost stories he heard of took place.Out of the dark appears the Horseman, and comes after Ichabod. The next day all that the townspeople find is Ichabod's horse, hat and a smashed pumpkin. Everyone just accepts that the Horseman killed Ichabod.A few years later, an old farmer visits New York and comes back to town saying that he saw Ichabod Crane there. He claims that Ichabod ran off that dark night because he was spooked in the woods and because Katrina had turned him down. Brom also seemed a bit suspicious whenever people mentioned Icabod's dissapearance. He would laugh at the story and seemed to know more than he was telling anyone. I hadn't read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow since I was in grade school, and on re-reading it, I found that I still enjoyed it. This is a great spooky story for anyone, especially older school children.I liked how Irving sets the mood and there is no dialogue in the story, it is just the narrator telling his tale.
What do You think about The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow And Other Stories (1999)?
It was nice to re-read the stories I had grown up knowing and loving. I also realized, like most movies, they are completely different from the books. I knew the animated version of the "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" quite well and as I grew older I fell in love with Tim Burton's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci. The book however, wasn't as terrifying as I remembered it to be. But I guess back in the 1800s when Iriving wrote it, things were quite different.Also in this book were sixteen other stories that I didn't even know existed. After reading them I realized why they weren't that well known. In comparison to "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle" the other stories didn't really hold a torch. I felt somewhat bored reading them and they weren't as fantastical or interesting to me.I would definitely recommend "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle" but the others would be good for trying to put your kids to sleep... with boredom.
—Nicole
I absolutely loved this book. Each chapter is self-contained, so it is a great book to keep at your bedside to pick up occasionally or when the mood strikes. Aptly named, because the author tackles a wide range of subjects---wherever his fancy takes him. Written in the elegant, descriptive English of an earlier era, this is not a book to breeze through quickly. Here is a man who has one foot in England and one in the New World and appears to hold both in affection. His unhurried ruminations as he travels via ocean liner, enjoys an old-world Christmas celebration, visits an ancient cemetery, peruses a dusty library, and cogitates on domesticity are self-contained gems. It had been quite a long while since I had read "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", the final installment in the book. What a pleasure to revisit it! Outstanding in its descriptive humor, it is a not-to-be-missed romp. Irving was one of America's first literary greats and he deserves the reputation. This book is worthy of a second look.
—Poiema
Era da tempo che desideravo leggere un libro di Washington Irving. Per la precisione, la voglia mi è venuta la bellezza di 28 anni fa, ossia da quando, leggendo quel libro mitico che è “Comma 22”, mi sono imbattuta in Yossarian che firma i suoi "lavori" di censore alternativamente con il nome di Washington Irving e Irving Washington. Ma non me ne era mai capitata l'occasione. Vorrei poter dire che il procrastinare la soddisfazione del desiderio ne abbia proporzionalmente aumentato il piacere. Ma così non è. Non che lo giudichi "brutto", ma non appartiene al genere di letture che preferisco. Va detto che, anche in questo caso, esattamente come è stato per la "La bambina che salvava i libri", il titolo dato alla traduzione italiana è del tutto fuorviante: "Il mistero di Sleepy Hollow e altri racconti". "Il mistero di Sleepy Hollow" è effettivamente un racconto. E qualche altro racconto c'è anche, tipo "Lo sposo fantasma", ma sono assolutamente in minoranza rispetto agli altri scritti, che raccolgono per lo più impressioni di viaggio, considerazioni personali, annotazioni varie e appunti forse da usarsi per futuri racconti poi mai scritti. Infatti, il titolo originale è “The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Cryon, Gent.”. E "sketch" significa proprio schizzo, abbozzo, tratteggio sommario e ben definisce il contenuto del libro. Altra bella cazzata degli editor, a mio modesto avviso. Leggendo le diverse recensioni che su questo libro hanno scritto gli aNobiiani, le lamentele più frequenti in cui sono incorsa sono che, disgraziatamente, "Sleepy Hollow" nulla avrebbe in comune con il film che ne è stato tratto e che ci sono troppe, noiosissime descrizioni. Sulla prima considerazione non dico nulla, perché la pellicola non l’ho vista. Sulla seconda, invece, posso esprimere la mia opinione. In prima battuta, considerando il periodo storico in cui lo scrittore si colloca, era assolutamente ovvio che vi sarebbero state un buon numero di descrizioni e stupirsene mi sembra fuor di luogo. Se si sa già che si preferiscono azioni rapide e dialoghi serrati, non si acquistano certo testi scritti ad inizio ‘800. In seconda battuta, personalmente quel che ho apprezzato sono proprio le descrizioni, la precisione del linguaggio usato, alcune folgoranti osservazioni, l’eleganza di certe immagini. Certo, sono molto datati i concetti, ma vanno presi considerando il momento in cui sono stati messi nero su bianco. Il tenore dei racconti veri e propri, invece, l'ho apprezzato poco, perché, come ho già detto, non rientra nel genere da me preferito. Tuttavia anch’essi hanno il pregio di un’accurata scrittura.
—Arwen56
