Most everyone has heard of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and its headless horseman that terrorizes a village. You have probably also heard about the movie and television series, both of which are loosely based on the classic by Washington Irving.
First is a review of the book, favorite sentences, and new words learned. After that is a review of the audiobook, the movie, and the television series.
The Book:
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was first published in 1819 or 1820. I think this tale, or at least some version of it, is known by everyone in America.
The story itself has very little dialogue, but it abounds in description. Irving’s descriptions are so vivid that it is easy to picture Ichabod Crane in your mind as you read about him. (See favorite sentences.)
Most of the sentences in the book are really, really long, but this is the way most authors of his time wrote. Except for some words that I had to stop and look up, the sentences were easy to understand, and they flowed really well.
Poor Ichabod was the schoolteacher, but he seemed to have only one thing on his mind: food, and lots of it. Even though he was tall and lanky, he had a huge appetite. Instead of being attracted to Katrina because of her looks, and she was described as pretty, he was attracted to her because of the inheritance she would receive.
Katrina had many suitors, but one in particular was his rival: Brom Bones. Ichabod had his ways of getting around that though.
Ichabod listened to the tales and legends of hauntings and mysterious happenings of the region. He thoroughly enjoyed hearing them, and he believed them. Hearing them was fun, but they made his rides home after dark a bit terrifying, especially when he encountered the dreaded Headless Horseman.
I bought my copy of this book many years ago. If you would like your own copy of this book, I have provided an Amazon link below.
Amazon Link: Sleepy Hollow
Favorite Sentences:
This description of Ichabod Crane is my favorite part of the story:
He was tall, but exceedingly lank, with narrow shoulders, long arms and legs, hands that dangled a mile out of his sleeves, feet that might have served for shovels, and his whole frame most loosely hung together. His head was small, and flat at top, with huge ears, large green glassy eyes, and a long snipe nose, so that it looked like a weathercock, perched upon his spindle neck, to tell which way the wind blew. To see him striding along the profile of a hill on a windy day, with his clothes bagging and fluttering about him, one might have mistaken him for the genius of famine descending upon the earth, or some scarecrow eloped from a cornfield.
The revenue arising from his school was small, and would have been scarcely sufficient to furnish him with daily bread, for he was a huge feeder, and though lank, had he dilating powers of an Anaconda; but to help out his maintenance, he was, according to country custom in those parts, boarded and lodged at the houses of the farmers, whose children he instructed.
Below is a description of the horse he rode:
He was gaunt and shagged, with a ewe neck and a head like a hammer; his rust mane and tail were tangled and knotted with burrs; one eye had lost its pupil, and was glaring and spectral; but the other had the gleam of a genuine devil in it.
New Words Learned:
andirons – a pair of metal stands, usually of iron or brass, for holding logs in a fireplace
bestrode – rode or stood beside
burthen – burden
capacious – capable of holding much; roomy; spacious
chanticleer – a rooster
chopfallen – dejected; downhearted; crestfallen
chronicle – a record or register of events in chronological order
cognomen – a surname
collating – gathering or arranging in their proper sequence
competency – sufficiency
con – to learn; study; peruse or examine carefully
coverts – shelters or hiding places
cruller – a light sweet ring-shaped cake, fried in deep fat
coxcomb – a conceited, foolish dandy; pretentious fop
doughty – brave, strong, and determined. I wonder if the definition of this word has changed since Washington Irving used it in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I’m not sure that he intended to describe a doughnut as brave, strong, and determined.
eelpot– a trap like a box with funnel-shaped openings for catching eels
ferule – a flat piece of wood, such as a ruler, used in some schools to cane children on the hand
flails – implements used for threshing grain, consisting of wooden handles with free-swinging metal or wooden bars attached
foolscap – a type of inexpensive writing paper, especially legal-size, lined, yellow sheets, bound in tablet form
gaud – a showy ornament or trinket
gorget – a patch on the throat of a bird or other animal, distinguished by its color, texture, etc.
monteiro – a round cap with a flap at the back worn by hunters, esp in Spain in the 17th and 18th centuries
mynheer – a Dutchman
oly koek – a cake of dough sweetened and fried in lard, richer and tenderer than a cruller: originally a Dutch delicacy
pedagogue – a teacher or educator
pillions – pads or cushions attached behind saddles, especially as seats for women
plashy – wet or marshy
potentates – people who possess great power or authority
psalmody – the art or practice of the setting to music or singing of psalms
purport – purpose; object; intention
rantipole– an unruly, rude young person
sager – wiser
shad – a deep-bodied herring of Europe and North America that migrates up streams to spawn, used for food.
smallclothes – men’s close-fitting knee breeches of the 18th and 19th centuries
starveling – starving; suffering from lack of nourishment
stave – a verse or stanza of a poem or song
supernumerary – being in excess of the usual, proper, or prescribed number; additional; extra
swains– male admirers or lovers
timothy – a coarse grass used as fodder.
varlet – a menial servant
wended – went, pursued, or directed
whilome – at one time
wight – a human being
withe – any tough, flexible twig or stem suitable for binding things together
About the Author:
Washington Irving is considered “the father of American literature”. He was born in New York City in 1783. One of eleven children, he studied law and passed the bar exam in 1806. His love and true talent though was writing satirical sketches and stories under the pseudonym Jonathan Oldstyle, Gent. He also wrote under the pen name Diedrich Knickerbocker.
The Audiobook:
I read this book while listening to the talented Tom Mison read it. His voice gave life to this tale of the Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman.
I’ll admit that I didn’t recognize the name Tom Mison, and I had no clue who he was. I looked him up today and discovered that he was the perfect choice to read the book: he plays Ichabod Crane in the television series.
The audio version begins with haunting music. That is a fitting introduction to this tale. Mr. Mison’s hypnotizing voice, a voice that was definitely made to be heard, carried me away to the world that Ichabod Crane lived in. Listening to his voice with its soft British accent read the rich descriptions that Washington Irving wrote gave them a beauty that wasn’t as easily felt when I read the words on the page.
I fully recommend following along in the book when you listen to the audio version. I had listened to the audiobook twice before I followed along in the written book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it both times. But when I read along with Mr. Mison, my enjoyment was much greater. Some of the words that Washington Irving used were unfamiliar. When I could see them in print, I was able to look them up in the dictionary. Understanding their meanings made the story even better.
I received my copy of this audiobook free of charge with no expectation of a review. If you would like this audiobook for yourself, I have provided an Amazon link below.
Amazon Link: Sleepy Hollow Audiobook
The Movie:
The movie lightly uses the book as a basis for its story. The main characters of Ichabod Crane (played by Johnny Depp), Kristina (played by Christina Ricci), and the Headless Horseman (when he does have a head, he is played by Christopher Walken) are the basis of an awesome Halloween movie.
Set in the turn of the 19th century, Constable Crane is put to the test. He is sent to Sleepy Hollow to discover the identity of the villain that has been relieving people of their heads.
The plot is almost totally different from that of the book, and there are many subplots to go along with it. The story and the imagery are enough to send chills down the spines of most. Me? Well, the Halloween-appropriate imagery only captivated me more. By now, I think I’ve watched this movie at least a dozen times. And each time I watch this movie, I am pulled into the dark world of Sleepy Hollow and its Headless Horseman.
Tim Burton directed what I consider to be a masterpiece. The dark gray, foreboding atmosphere of the movie is one that you know cannot be real, yet it is realistic and foreboding, letting you know that something evil is amiss. As though a horseman riding about minus a head and chopping off the heads of others isn’t creepy enough.
What did I think was the creepiest scene in the movie? It has to be the Tree of the Dead. Michael Bray, the scene with this tree (50 minutes through the movie) brought to mind the cover of your book Echoes. The rival for the creepiest scene starts at an hour and thiry-seven minutes through the movie. Yes, that is very close to the end, but it is so awesome and satisfying.
In addition to Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, and Christopher Walken, the movie stars Christopher Lee as the Burgomaster.
If you want to visit a world full of secrets, mystery, murder, horror, this movie is definitely one you would enjoy. Added to all of that is superstition, witchcraft, murder, blood, and the chopping off of people’s heads.
I puchased my copy of this awesome movie from Amazon several years ago. If you would like your own copy of this movie, I have provided an Amazon link below.
Amazon Link: Sleepy Hollow Movie
The Series:
The television series Sleepy Hollow is a must for fans of this legend. In the series, Ichabod Crane was not a schoolteacher. He was a British spy working with General George Washington. After a fatal encounter with an enemy combatant, Crane is buried and wakes up in modern-day Sleepy Hollow.
Evil forces have followed Ichabod from 1781 to the modern day, and it is up to him to stop them from destroying Sleepy Hollow. Filled with thrills and suspense, demonic possession and Scripture, surprises and heartbreak, this show will keep you on the edge of your seat.
This is one of my favorite shows, and I have bought seasons one and two on DVD. Now on season three, Ichabod Crane and Abbie Mills continue to fight the evil forces that are trying to destroy Sleepy Hollow. The below video recaps the first season of this amazing show that stars Tom Mison and Nicole Beharie.
Amazon Links:
Sleepy Hollow: Season 1
Sleepy Hollow: Season 2
What would Washington Irving think of the movie and the television series that are based on his book? I’m not sure what the would think of the witchcraft and sorcery. I’m not sure how he would feel about the Scripture that has been interwoven with the story. But I am sure that he would appreciate the talented imaginations that came up with these shows that use his famous tale as a basis.
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