Washington Irving's The Legend Of The Sleepy Hollow

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In George Snell's revaluation of the romantic author Washington Irving, he briefly mentions how his work in "The Legend of the Sleepy Hollow" uses realistic language to keep the reader grounded in reality or "suspended in disbelief" (George Snell, 1946) while at the same time, supernatural elements are also presented throughout the story to grab the reader's attention and "gain our whole acceptance" (George Snell, 1946). I agree with these statements, and can point out more evidence in favor of his view. The first example of realistic language in the story is shown in the narrator's description of the natural environment present in and around the Sleepy Hollow, "A small brook glides through it, with just murmur enough to lull one to repose.…show more content…
The first such example draws upon the environment in and around the village of the Sleepy Hollow, "A drowsy, dreamy influence seems to hang over the land, and to pervade the very atmosphere. Some say that the place was bewitched by a high German doctor, during the early days of the settlement; others, that an old Indian chief, the prophet or wizard of his tribe, held his powwows there before the country was discovered by Master Hendrick Hudson. (1.3)" the story takes a turn for the strange here; already we as the readers know something fishy is going on here, and it changes the whole tone of the story…show more content…
(1.17) " These stories seem a little out of place, which begs the question, are science and the supernatural presented as one in the same in the Sleepy
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