Book #09 - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Book #09 - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Name of the Book (Name of the Series): The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Name of the Author: Washington Irving
Genre: short story, mystery, fantasy
Pages: 54
Date: 27.11.2012
Short description: Among one of the earliest examples of American Fiction and still read up till today, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is a classic that everyone should take a peek at. Taking place around 1790 in a Dutch Settlement in America the story is about a young scholar and a young lady, and a mysterious ghost story coming to life in this very town.
Own Statement:
A real shorty, read it on my way to university and overall enjoyed it. The focus seems to be on the atmosphere and we only get one character portrayed, him and his various states of mind. Though the scholar in this story starts to court a lady, the story is very vague about it (and her) and it is no way to be seen as a love story. I’d say it’s fine to read it in one sitting if you want something you don’t have to think about much. Though I was a bit disappointed of this, probably because of the expectations the movie built up, because …
Bonus: Comparison to Movie: ... the short story is nothing like the movie (at least the one with Johnny Depp). The one thing they seem to have in common is where it takes place. The ghost story or legend is changed, and the main character is different, though there is a young lady Van Tassel and her and her father seemed to be portrayed quite right. But the young scholar in the movie is a teacher, whereas the young scholar in the movie comes from afar to investigate upon a murder. The young girl in the movie seems immediately interested in him, whereas the story implies that she is only teasing him. The haunting of the place is quite different (though in both cases it’s a headless riding figure). The story unfolds and ends quite different. I loved the movie, so I naturally was a bit disappointed in the story afterwards. One should probably read the story before watching the Johnny-Depp-Tim-Burton-movie.
Next to review: #10 The Myths of Old Japan