Sleepy Hollow's Headless Horseman

Paper Summary:

The paper states that "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", by Washington Irving, explores themes of gender stereotypes, sexuality and dominance. The paper comments that although varying widely in their conclusions, modern readings of "Sleepy Hollow" explore these ideas of masculinity, feminizing and sexual dominance. The paper comments that because of Irving's subtlety the exact meaning of the text is open to interpretation; however it is easy to see that what haunted Sleepy Hollow was not a headless horseman, but a struggle for power between genders.

From the Paper:

"That Crane's nightly walks around Sleepy Hollow are an example of his security and show that he felt that he was in his rightful place; the freedom that Crane feels to participate in this solitary exploration is a masculine one. He also points out that while at Van Tassel's he participated in a conversation where he felt the need to "one up" his competition with stories from his own travels and reading, a trait that Anderson equates with maleness (207). Anderson also accuses Ichabod of the male delusion of thinking that Katrina would be interested in him despite his inadequacies."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Anderson, Donald. "Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." The Explicator 61.4 (2003): 207-11.
• Anthony, David. "'Gone Distracted': 'Sleepy Hollow,' Gothic Masculinity, and the panic of 1819." Early American Literature 40.1 (2005): 111-34.
• Greven, David. "Troubling Our Heads about Ichabod: "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," Classic American Literature, and the Sexual Politics of Homosocial Brotherhood." American Quarterly 56.1 (2004): 83-110.
• Hoffman, Daniel G. "Irving's Use of American Folklore in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."" PMLA 68.3 (1953): 425-35.
• Irving, Washington. "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." The Norton Anthology of American Literature Seventh Ed. Vol. B. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2007. 965-84.

More papers on Sleepy Hollow's Headless Horseman:

• Analytical Essay # 29059 : "Folktale and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"
• Book Review # 132703 : "Case Study of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"
• Analytical Essay # 4370 : "The Fantasies of Sleepy Hollow"

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