The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving is filled with amazing descriptions, however I think the story is subpar. The story itself is filled with misogyny and racism, and overall not very interesting. However, I was deeply fascinated by the many description words, some of which I have never heard before. 

Descriptive words and terms that stood out to me while reading are as follows, gathered from The New Oxford American Dictionary. If you do not wish to read the many descriptive words I found within this story, please skip over the next paragraph to continue reading my review of the tale.

Denominated; (of sums of money) be expressed in a specified monetary unit. Tarried; (to) stay longer than intended; delay leaving a place. Snipe; this word has many definitions, however in the context of this story it was referring to Ichabod’s large nose. Coquette; a woman who flirts. Quilting Frolic; a term that means a gathering of people coming together to complete an activity. Autumnal; a characteristic or occurring of autumn. Livery; in this context, is used to describe the color and setting of autumn. Revelry; lively and noisy festivities involving drinking. Capricious; given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behaviour. Stripling; a young man. Querulous; complaining in petulant or whining manner. Treacle; the British term for Molasses. Supposition; an uncertain belief. Buxom; referring to a woman’s large breasts. Antiquated; old fashioned or outdated. Sumptuous; splendid or expensive looking. Daughty; brave and persistent. Enumerate; to mention one by one. Dilate; to make or become wider, larger, or more open. Countenance; A person's face or facial expression. Extracts; to remove or take out by effort or force. Desolate; a place deserted of people and in a state of bleak and dismal emptiness. Chapfallen; with one's lower jaw hanging due to extreme exhaustion or dejection. Pedagogue; a strict or pedantic teacher. Gnarled; rough, knobbly, and twisted especially with age. Doleful; expressing sorrow, mournful. Affrighted; frightened or fearful. Cudgel; in reference to this story, to work his weapon with force. Pertinacious; to hold firmly to an opinion or course of action. Worsted; a fine smooth fabric with a close textured surface.

When I think of my favorite descriptions within this short story, I am reminded of the scene that describes the Van Ripper farm. “The pedagogue’s mouth watered as he looked upon this sumptuous promise of luxurious winter fare. In his devouring mind’s eye, he pictured to himself every roasting-pig running about with a pudding in his belly, and an apple in his mouth; the pigeons were snugly put to bed in a comfortable pie, and tucked in with a coverlet of crust; the geese were swimming in their own gravy; and the ducks pairing cosily in dishes, like snug married couples, with a decent competency of onion sauce. In the porkers he saw carved out the future sleek side of bacon, and juicy relishing ham; not a turkey but he beheld daintily trussed up, with its gizzard under its wing, and, peradventure, a necklace of savory sausages; and even bright chanticleer himself lay sprawling on his back, in a side dish, with uplifted claws, as if craving that quarter which his chivalrous spirit disdained to ask while living” (Irving). Yet, through this delectable rendition of the farm, the author's voice is so clear and distinct. The descriptions within this scene are so sublime they make me hungry. Meanwhile we are given important information. We now know exactly what Ichabod is after, and we get a sense that he only cares for Katrina based on what she can provide for him, not for who she is as a person.

While all these words and phrases are incredibly interesting, I want to be honest with my reading experience. While the passage above was entertaining, this story suffers from too much of a good thing. I am of the personal opinion that Washington Irving used too many details and descriptions too frequently within this piece. So much so that it made the story itself feel boring. Perhaps people of the 1800’s felt differently, because the story was obviously a huge success. Though as I read, there were several moments where I caught myself thinking “alright, get to the point”, which is never something you want the audience to think while reading your work. 

Following these descriptions which are not in themselves uninteresting, we read on about Ichabod teaching in his classroom. Describing in detail every inch of the room and whispering students, using a total of 169 words. By the time we finally get to the point, an invitation to the “quilting frolic” by way of a man bursting through the door, I have lost interest entirely. This is especially frustrating, because Irving already described the schoolhouse at the near beginning of the story. So to describe it a second time in such a lengthy way, simply to set up the delivery of an invitation feels like a waste of time. Of course from a literary perspective, I understand that Irving was trying to describe and paint a picture in the head of his audience of Ichabod teaching his dutiful students. However, this fact did not stop me as the reader from yawning and yearning for a nap. 

I do want to commend Washington Irving on his use of voice within “The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow”. While there is nearly no dialog within the story, the author's voice is most prevalent when reading this tale. He frequently writes as though he is talking directly to his reader, telling a story to the individual reading personally. The paragraph that stands out to me occurs shortly after Ichabod's disappearance. “The brook was searched, but the body of the schoolmaster was not to be discovered. Hans Van Ripper, as executor of his estate, examined the bundle which contained all his worldly effects. They consisted of two shirts and a half; two stocks for the neck; a pair or two of worsted stockings; an old pair of corduroy small-clothes; a rusty razor; a book of psalm tunes full of dog’s-ears; and a broken pitch-pipe” (Irving). 

Washington Irving likes to describe his scenes in great detail, some of which is appreciated. However, this is another example of when I think detail could have been omitted. We already know so much about Ichabod, I don’t feel that providing a detailed summary of his belongings left behind was necessary. Especially because it amounted to nothing at the end of the tale. However, a part of this is the author's voice of Irving. As stated, he likes to describe as though he is laying out the scene of a crime in excruciating detail. Perhaps thinking that any detail however small could be important to the context of the story, to help the readers put together the mystery. Unfortunately, I don’t feel that his story reads well because of these details, because Ichabod is slain by a ghost, and next to none of the details amount to or are the cause of his untimely demise. 

Furthermore, as a horror story, there was very little horror or suspense written in this story until we reached the climax. I found this to be very disappointing, because I was expecting a ghost story. Yet, the ghost was barely involved in the story at all. A majority of the tale was regarding Ichabods predatory pedophilic pining over one of his young “blooming” students and her fathers expansive farmland which itself is a different kind of disturbing entirely. While that may have been acceptable for the time, in the present day it made my skin crawl. Overall, I can see why this story was so famed for its time. The descriptive word choice used, despite its length, is superb. However, if this story was written in the present day I do not think it would perform as spectacularly as it once did in 1820.

The New Oxford American Dictionary (Kindle Location 28). Oxford University Press. 

Kindle Edition. 

Washington Irving. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow . Hewlett-Packard. Kindle Edition. Read "The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow" for free: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/41/41-h/41-h.htm