The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Chapter Summary & Analysis - Analysis Summary

Analysis

A short story manifests all the elements of a novel; only the author must consolidate his information and masterfully incorporate them into a more concise form. As with any fiction, this must first establish setting, but in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," by Washington Irving, the author first qualifies his source, lending credibility to his story. It seems this story was found among the papers of a dead man. By introducing the story this way, the author gives credibility to his story with an actual source, and his words seem irrefutable, because this Knickerbocker can no longer disagree. It also sets a tone. By making the dead man 'speak' posthumously, the author gives this story a dark, somber, almost surreal, tone. This is further enhanced by the use of a quatrain, a four lined poem written in iambic pentameter. The poem's formal structure lends to the story's credibility, and the...
(read more)