The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
by Washington Irving
Plot
Our story begins in a small woodland village nestled in upstate New York. The year is 1790, and the small predominately Dutch village of Sleepy Hollow holds a terrible and frightening past.
As All Hallows Eve approaches murmurs and whispers move through the village about the new schoolmaster Mr. Ichabod Crane. As village Schoolmaster Crane is looked highly upon by the pillars of the community, making him a very eligible bachelor despite his odd lanky appearance. While many of the local ladies vie for his attention Crane has set his sights on the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel. However, to his dismay Crane is not the only suitor after Miss Van Tassel’s affection. So ensues days of clever banter between the schoolmaster and the local legend Brom Van Brunt culminating at the Van Tassel’s harvest party on All Hallows Eve.
Crane and Brom continue in their pursuit of Katrina during the festivities. Party goers entertain themselves with dance and food and as things begin to calm down the town story teller begins to spin his magic web over the crowd. Crane becomes particularly interested in the tale of the Headless Horseman said to roam through the very wood he would be traveling through later that very evening.
As Crane leaves the party he begins to dwell on the ghost story of the Headless Horseman.
Setting
The story takes place a small mysterious woodland village in
upstate New York forever known to the world as Sleepy Hollow.
Ichabod Crane
Katrina Van Tassel
Headless Horseman/Hessian
Conflict
Crane and Brom compete against each other in hopes of winning the hand of the young Katrina Van Tassel. On his way home from a failed attempt to gain Katrina’s favor Crane encounters the Headless Horseman, a local specter said to have lost his head in battle and roams the countryside seeking a replacement.
Resolution
Crane disappears under a cloud of suspicion and is never heard from again.