The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Published for the first time in 1819–20 in Washington Irving's The Sketch Book is his short novel The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Ichabod Crane, the story's protagonist, is a Yankee teacher who makes his home in Sleepy Hollow, a Dutch settlement on the Hudson. Crane is easily persuaded and believes the stories he has heard or read about ghosts and witchcraft. The legend of a headless horseman who is reported to stalk the area has left a lasting impression on him. Even mercenary Crane pursues Katrina Van Tassel, whose father is a wealthy farmer, for the prospect of financial gain. Abraham Van Brunt (also known as Brom Bones), a local favourite and a wild horseman who frequently teases Crane, is a jealous competitor of the schoolmaster's.