Henry Irving

Magical ale, haunted crews, headless goblins, and witchcraft, all elements of these two short stories by Washington Irving, used to draw the reader’s attention. Both “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” share characteristics of Irving’s love for the areas he visited as a young man, his sense of humor, and a knack for alternative plot development. These pieces more specifically share descriptive settings placed in the same region, as well as Irving’s sarcasm toward gossiping wives…

of Sleepy Hollow: “He assisted the farmers occasionally in the lighter labors of their farms, helped to make hay, mended the fences, took the horses to water, drove the cows from pasture, and cut wood for the winter fire” (Baym 968). In the story Irving doesn’t tell us what was the conversation after the Harvest festival between Katrina and Ichabod about. He just mentions, “Something, however, I fear me, must have gone wrong, for he certainly sallied forth, after no very great interval, with an…

Rip Van Winkle, a short story by Washington Irving, displays elements of the American Romanticism, as the author depicts the natural landscape associated with fantasy. The supernatural is a very prevalent theme in Romantic literature, and so is the love for the natural landscape, in opposition to the modern life in the city. These elements help isolate Rip Van Winkle from society, in a way that when he returns from his fantastic 20-year sleep, he becomes “the local storyteller, demonstrating the…

Ichabod is described by Irving as tall, superstitious, and greedy, he is also in love with one of his students, Katrina(). The producers of the movie transform Ichabod into an eccentric, excitable, and scientific constable from New York that is in Sleepy Hollow to investigate a…

the most important aspects of romanticism is the setting. Since romantic authors have a dislike towards civilization, they must present and utilize the setting in an effective way. This is evident in the short story “Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving. The historical setting may also impact how and why an author presents information such as in “A Model of Christian Charity” written by John Winthrop. Washington…

The Catcher in the Rye This is an analysis of the novel The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D Salinger. The analysis will contain Holden’s development throughout the course of the novel, as well as what kind of a character I personally perceive him to be. I will also bring up some minor characters. Let’s start with Holden’s development. At the beginning of the novel, he is an unhappy boy with a lot of problems. He is depressed and confused. It seems that every since his little brother Allie…

Irving’s use of Masculinity and Femininity Washington Irving 's famous short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has many aspects masculinity and femininity. Femininity tends to dominate the short story a lot more than masculinity does, with the protagonist being very feminine. The two main male characters in the story are Ichabod Crane and Brom Bones. These two characters couldn’t be more opposite of each other than they are throughout the story, especially in aspects of masculinity. While Brom…

Washington Irving is a writer who authored many short stories and essays in the early nineteenth century. He is the writer of many classical short stories, such as “Rip Van Winkle,” “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” and “The Devil and Tom Walker,” which are many people’s favorite short stories. However, in many of these stories the portrayal of certain male characters--and their relationships with female characters--have raised the question of whether or not Washington Irving had some questionable…

As the 18th century came to its last years, it granted hope and cheer for futures of men, disregarding class and education. Following that into the 19th century rose a period known as the American Romanticism. The search for individuality became a growing goal for the citizens of America as it removed itself from the British Empire. With independence came the rise of national pride and the popularity of an anti-British doctrine. Especially for American literature, as it progressed and matured…

The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has Imagination, Individuality, and Interest in things outside the realm of the “normal” like ghosts/spirits. The legend of Sleepy Hollow is about a headless horseman that comes out at midnight to find his head and to seek revenge. They say that the reason he doesn’t have a head anymore is because he was in the war and they cut his head off. The legend of sleepy hollow story came up when they wanted to scare people into thinking they…