The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Washington Irving

Summary

"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving is a short story written in 1820. Set in 1790 in a secluded glen near Tarrytown, it follows Ichabod Crane, a superstitious schoolmaster who competes with local rowdy Brom Bones for the affections of wealthy Katrina Van Tassel. After a harvest party filled with ghost stories about a Headless Horseman, Ichabod encounters a terrifying cloaked rider on his journey home. The next morning, he has vanished, leaving only mysterious clues behind. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Subjects

• Ghosts — Fiction
• New York (State) — History — 1775-1865 — Fiction

Bookshelves

• American Literature
• Mythology, Legends & Folklore
• Short Stories
• Children's Literature
• Harvard Classics