Legend of sleepy Hollow

          The legend of Sleepy Hollow , by Washington Irving, is an example of romanticism, a movement in literature that sparked the imagination of readers. This story about the headless horseman captures the imagination of modern readers just as it did for those of it's time period.
          The story begins by telling us of the setting, sleepy hollow. It states that "a dreamy,drowsy influence hangs over all the land, and seems to pervade the very atmosphere." It says that the land is bewitched. This description puts a certain sense of wonder and curiosity on the story, and foreshadows what kind of events may result from these beliefs. It also states that the "dominant spirit that haunts this land...is the apparition of a figure on horseback, without a head...which has furnished material for a wild story in that region of shadow"
Another foreshadowing of events, and a good way to hook one's imagination. It also tells us of Ichabod Crane, a school teacher with a particular interest in scary stories. He desires to mary a young girl, the daughter of Van Tassel. Unfortunately, he has competition in the form of a man named Brom Bones.
        The story leaves us with two possibilities, either Brom ran Crane from town, or he was killed by the horseman.