The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Flashcards
by Washington Irving — tap or click to flip
Flashcard Review
Flashcards: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Where is Sleepy Hollow located?
In a small valley near Tarry Town on the eastern shore of the Hudson River, in New York's Tappan Zee region.
Why does Ichabod Crane come to Sleepy Hollow?
He comes from Connecticut to work as the local schoolmaster, instructing the children of the vicinity.
How does Ichabod supplement his meager teaching income?
He boards at the homes of his students' families on a rotating weekly basis, serves as the neighborhood singing-master, and helps farmers with light chores.
What event brings Ichabod to the Van Tassel home on the fateful evening?
He receives an invitation to a merry-making or 'quilting frolic' hosted by Mynheer Van Tassel.
What happens when Ichabod lingers to speak privately with Katrina after the party?
Something goes wrong -- he leaves looking 'desolate and chapfallen,' suggesting Katrina rejected him or revealed she was merely using him to make Brom jealous.
What does the Headless Horseman hurl at Ichabod during the chase?
He hurls his head at Ichabod, which strikes Ichabod's cranium and sends him tumbling into the dust.
What evidence is found at the bridge the morning after Ichabod vanishes?
His hat and a shattered pumpkin are found on the bank of the brook, but his body is never discovered.
What ultimately becomes of Ichabod Crane, according to the old farmer's report?
He moved to a distant part of the country, kept school, studied law, was admitted to the bar, turned politician, and became a justice of the peace.
Describe Ichabod Crane's physical appearance.
He is extremely tall and lank with narrow shoulders, long limbs, a small flat-topped head, huge ears, large green glassy eyes, and a long snipe nose -- compared to a scarecrow and a weather-cock.
What two passions define Ichabod's character?
His enormous appetite for food and his love of the supernatural -- he devours both meals and ghost stories with equal voracity.
Who is Katrina Van Tassel, and why is she so desirable?
She is the beautiful only daughter of wealthy farmer Baltus Van Tassel, making her attractive both for her looks and her 'vast expectations' as sole heiress.
How does Brom Bones contrast with Ichabod Crane?
Brom is broad-shouldered, physically powerful, a masterful horseman, and boldly direct -- the opposite of the lanky, timid, and scheming Ichabod.
What is Brom Bones's real name, and how did he earn his nickname?
His real name is Abraham (Brom) Van Brunt. He earned 'Brom Bones' from his Herculean frame and great physical strength.
What role does Baltus Van Tassel play in the story?
He is Katrina's easygoing, prosperous father who lets her have her way in everything and embodies Dutch abundance and hospitality.
How does the theme of superstition drive the plot?
Sleepy Hollow's atmosphere of superstition makes Ichabod susceptible to terror during his midnight ride, while the practical Brom likely exploits these superstitions to eliminate his rival.
How does Irving explore the theme of greed through Ichabod?
Ichabod's courtship of Katrina is motivated less by love than by fantasies of inheriting Van Tassel's wealth -- he imagines converting the farm to cash and moving west.
What does the conflict between Ichabod and Brom represent thematically?
It represents tradition versus change -- the rooted Dutch community (Brom) resisting the Yankee outsider (Ichabod) who wants to exploit its wealth and move on.
How does the theme of appearance versus reality function in the story?
The Headless Horseman may be Brom in disguise, Katrina's encouragement of Ichabod may be a ploy, and the 'supernatural' events all have plausible natural explanations.
What literary device does Irving use by attributing the story to Diedrich Knickerbocker?
A frame narrative -- the fictional Knickerbocker narrator creates distance and ambiguity, allowing Irving to present the tale as legend rather than established fact.
How does Irving use situational irony at the Van Tassel feast?
Ichabod gorges himself and fantasizes about owning everything, imagining snapping his fingers at his patrons -- unaware that this is his last night in Sleepy Hollow.
What is the effect of Irving's mock-heroic tone throughout the story?
By describing Ichabod in the language of knights-errant and epic heroes, Irving creates comedy through the contrast between grand language and the petty rural rivalry.
How does Irving use foreshadowing at the Van Tassel party?
The ghost stories told at the party -- especially Brom's tale of racing the Horseman to the church bridge -- directly foreshadow the chase Ichabod will experience that same night.
What does the shattered pumpkin symbolize?
It strongly implies the Headless Horseman was Brom Bones in disguise, using a pumpkin as a fake head -- reducing the supernatural to a practical joke.
What does the word 'cognomen' mean as used in describing Ichabod?
A surname or nickname -- Irving notes that the 'cognomen of Crane was not inapplicable to his person,' linking his name to his crane-like appearance.
What does 'pedagogue' mean, and how does Irving use it?
A schoolteacher, often used with a slightly pompous connotation. Irving uses it as a mock-dignified title for Ichabod throughout the story.
What does 'psalmody' refer to in the story?
The singing of psalms or hymns. Ichabod earns extra money by teaching psalmody and takes great pride in leading the church singing.
What is the significance of the quote that Katrina was 'a little of a coquette'?
It hints that Katrina may be deliberately playing Ichabod and Brom against each other for her own amusement, making her a more calculating character than she first appears.
What does the narrator mean by calling Ichabod 'an odd mixture of small shrewdness and simple credulity'?
Ichabod is cunning in practical matters like securing free meals, yet naively believes every ghost story he hears -- a contradiction that leads to his downfall.
Why is Brom Bones's reaction to Ichabod's disappearance significant?
He 'always burst into a hearty laugh at the mention of the pumpkin,' strongly implying he disguised himself as the Horseman to scare away his rival.