A good way to celebrate Halloween would be to read horror classics, and there’s no doubt that The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, written by Washington Irving in 1820, is a short tale of horror and romance included in his collection of essays and short stories. Geoffrey Crayon’s. The story takes place in 1784, around the Dutch settlement of Tarry Town (Tarrytown, New York), in a secluded valley called Sleepy Hollow, known for its ghost stories and haunted atmosphere that permeates the imagination of its residents and visitors. The most infamous ghost here is the Headless Horseman, said to be the ghost of a former Hessian soldier who was struck in the head by a cannonball during an “unnamed battle” of the American War of Independence.
We all have Tim Burton’s movie of the same name in mind, but I recommend you read this story, which does not exceed 60 pages, from Nordik publishing house. Books with illustrations by Idoia Iribertegui and translation by Irving BDL Collective, because despite the film, a book and its reading always have absolutely original and different nuances that images cannot capture.
You will also be able to find humor, criticism and irony in this story, which depicts a puritanical society more prone to deception, jealousy and selfishness, which you can discover as you examine the small town in this story. A teacher comes to a town where Dutch descendants believe in all kinds of fantastic stories; especially Ichabod Crane, who, on account of his small salary, lived every week with the relatives of one of his students, and of course stayed there permanently. He fell in love with the daughter of the richest farmer in town. Ichabod is not exactly a paragon of quality because his heart beats with a lot of pride and a bit of ambition.
The nature Irving describes is the grand framework of the story, with its depiction of simple landscapes contrasting and clashing with the supernatural elements the characters believe in, and is still a metaphor for the simplicity of things in the face of conflict. It carries flaws such as ambition and greed.
The story ends with three moral reflections that reveal the mystery of the professor and the Headless Horseman, recalling the structures of classic stories and legends of European literature. It is definitely recommended, because it is a classic, because of its gentle humor, descriptions of nature and the atmosphere of mystery surrounding the story, and rereading or getting to know the classics can also be a good way to celebrate Halloween.