A Book Report

Its author is Washington Irving. He was born on 3rd April 1783 in New York, and had travelled many places of interest as materials for his writing. He is also regarded as the father of American literature. The novella tells a story that a poor teacher Ichabod Crane not only fails to pursue the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel, but is also fooled by her lover Brom Van Brunt and her in the Sleepy Hollow. Finally, he leaves to teach. Now I will analyze the theme of the work and how the writing style reflects this theme. The main idea of this novella is the collision between the country and the city. In 1783, the year the author was born, the thirteen states won the revolutionary war under the leadership of Washington, and the United States was officially born. Then, with the booming economy, the contradiction between different economic systems in the north and south is emerging. Although this novella was written before the civil war, the sign can be seen. To show the main idea, the novella mainly portrays the images of the Sleepy Hollow and the two rivals in love. In terms of the Sleepy Hollow, it has two characteristics——mysterious and tranquil. Firstly, the author describes supernatural things associated with ghosts frequently, such as“witch”,“powwow”, “spell”, “enchant”, “apparition”, “haunted”. At the same time, the author is also good at using the character's mental activity to create the atmosphere of terror and mystery. Both of them are filled with the fear of ghosts and gods and other traditional views of destiny, which is also the representative feature of rural culture. Secondly, the scenery of the Sleepy Hollow is described as a wonderland, giving people a sense of tranquility and fully expressing the author's praise for rural life. Its descriptions include “drowsy”,“vegetate”,“linger”,“lull”,“repose”,“listless”and so on. In terms of the two men, they are the epitomes of different cultures. Ichabod is contradictory. He likes to dream up, but he is timid. He is favored by women for his education and talent, but he is also teased for his funny looks. Coming from the outside capital world, it's hard for Ichabod to really integrate into the Sleepy Hollow. The reason why he pursues Katrina, the heiress, is just for her family's wealth. He thinks highly of himself that he can win Katrina's heart with his talent and knowledge, but he is defeated by his rival Brom because of his timidity. Through ichabod's low motive, Irving satirizes the social reality. As for Brom, he's rough but energetic and kind-hearted, typical of locals. He uses the legend of the Headless Horseman to scare Ichabod rather than choose fair play, winning indecently.Therefore, Irving also implicitly criticizes the old tradition. To sum up, this novella fully displays the American society at the beginning of the 19th century, benefiting us to understand the mood of people in this period.