Irving Textual Analysis of The Legend Of Sllepy Hollow Essays

Textual Analysis of "The Legend of sleepy Hollow"1.) Romantic Descriptiona. pg. 715 - "there is a little v every last(predicate)ey, or rather lap of land, among high hills, which is one of the quietest places in the whole world. A small brook glides through it, with just a murmur generous to lull one to repose and the occasional whistle of a quail, or tapping of a woodpecker, is almost the further sound that ever breaks in upon the consistent undisturbedity."Irving describes nature as an untouchable force. He ignores the realism of nature and reveals only the beauty it holds. It is the stereotypical description of Mother Nature. Irving makes it sound so tranquil as if this place doesnt exist in this world.c. pg 731 - "Its limbs were gnarled, and fantastic, large bounteous to form trunks of ordinary trees, twisting down almost to the earth, and boost again into the air.The tree is almost created into somewhat of a creature. With the limbs twisting issue and rising into the air. Irving takes ordinary earthlike objects and changes the perspective of them into imaginary matter.2.) Avoidance of sway/Digressionsa. pg 717 - "...some little, tough, wrong-headed, broad-skirted Dutch urchin, who sulked and swelled and grew dogged and sullen beneath the birch. All this he called "doing his duty by their parents" and he never inflicted a chastisement without followers it by the assurance, so consolatory to the smarting urchin, which "he would remember it, and convey him for it the longest day he had to live." When school hours were over..."Irving constantly made bid of the Dutch, and this is one of those examples. He calls them wrong-headed and mocks their appearance by criticizing theirbroad-skirted dress. Then to avoid the quarrel he changes the subject and goes straight into the next thing.b. pg 728 - "The musician was an old gray-headed headed Negro, who had been the itinerant orchestra of the neighborhood fo r more than half a century. His instrument was as old and battered as himself."Here, Irving tries to avoid the subject of slavery and valet de chambre rights. He tries to stay neutral on the issue. He described the sorry man as battered and old showing the inequality of the both races, in a sense avoiding the whole slavery situation during that clock period. 3.) American Character Types a. pg 722... ...cts women as a bit lazy because in the passage they jut sit around talking, eating, and having a good conviction and have no clip to do. Therefore, implying that men do all the work and the women just lounge around.8.) Use of American Historya. pg 719 - "He was, moreover, prestigious by the women as a man of great erudition, for he had ingest several books quite through, and was a perfect master of Cotton Mathers history of New England Witchcraft, in which, by the way, he most firmly and strongly believed.Irving refers to an actual historical event by mentioning tha t Ichabod was a firm truster in Cotton Mathers writing about the Salem witch trials. Irving is picturesque accurate because it is actually a real book and was commonly read. He references to the literary works of the time and the thoughts that people had about the world during the time.b. pg 728 - "The British and American line had run near it during the war it had, therfore, been the scene of marauding, and infested with refugees, cow-boys, and all kinds of border chivalry."Irving does use an historical American setting, America and the British were occupied in war at the time and had battles around that.