Period Observations set off Fantastical Tales
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First, a note on the edition. I have a copy of The Modern Library 2001 paperback; this is a handsome, compact volume, complete with concise notes and an introduction from a modern author. It is well bound with quality paper, and I rather like the classy illustration on the cover.
The work itself is, of course, a classic, albeit - in the UK at least - a lesser known one. The title is somewhat misleading; to my mind, '... and Other Stories' implies a collection of narrative-based short stories, but that is not really what you get. Irving's original title and the subtitle here, 'The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.', is a better description. 'Geoffry Crayon' is a fictional front for Irving; his sketchbook is a collection of miscellaneous prose pieces. There are several observations - chiefly of nineteenth century England from the perspective of a visiting American; a number of what appear to be fictionalised versions of true tales picked up on his travels; a retold legend or two, and a few original stories. Probably the best known of the original stories are 'Rip Van Winkle' and 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' itself. Interestingly, both of these purport to be the work of another fictional creation of Irving's, one 'Diedrich Knickerbocker'. Both are set in New York State.
Personally, I quite like to read the stories in their original context, even if they don't fit the general pattern, which is the observations of an American abroad in England. Most of these observations are rather quaint and rambling, and are very much of their time. Taken together, though, they do provide a picture of how Irving would have seen England. Given that this collection was first published, and was well recieved, in England, this is quite interesting for an English reader with historical perspective.
But you're really interested in the stories, aren't you? (I was!)
Rip Van Winkle was oddly unsatisfying. It felt like a sketch for a longer work; our titular sleeper met with a curious company in the wilderness, joined with their revelry and awoke 20 years later. Perhaps the bare-bones nature of this tale, with its echoes of Thomas the Rhymer and other European faerie sleepers, is the very reason that its name has entered the cultural consciousness when older, more fabulous, tales lie on the verge of being forgotten.
Sleep Hollow is longer and more satisfying. It is easier to see through the supernatural gloss and to 'solve' the mystery of Ichabod Crane's fate - in fact, the solution is signposted quite clearly in the text. Irving - via Knickerbocker - creates a powerful sense of atmosphere in the story itself and leaves just enough space for the reader to feel smug about reading between the lines.
Other reviewers have made a point of saying that the story and the recent film are not very similar. To an extent, this is true; the film essentially takes the short story as a springboard into the realms of fantasy. In a way, the story is a sketch for the film. Yet I recognised the same atmosphere, and I didn't feel that the story itself was lacking. It is complete within itself, and almost makes the film appear indulgently fabulous. But that is the nature of film, and it is almost certainly what most of its viewers wanted from the film.
I enjoyed reading the story, and I enjoyed the film. There is a gulf between them, but - to belabour Irving's own metaphor - it is that between an artist's simple sketch of a scene and a later working up into an elaborate, showy exhibition piece with added figures from the artist's elaborate imaginings. Of course, in this case, there are two artists... but I digress.
'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories' is definitely worth the read for the title story alone; the remainder adds context and colour.
Oh, and for the record: 'Rumplestilskin' is not here. As far as I am aware, that tale is a German fairy tale, collected by the Brothers Grimm, and has never had any connection to Washington Irving.
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Not what I expected.
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In rural America of the early nineteenth Century, by the Hudson River, lies the small village of Sleepy Hollow. The only recently arrived scholl teacher, the tall and lean Ichabod Crane, likes to spend his evenings by the fire with the old Dutch wives, listening to local horror stories of ghouls and goblins and haunted houses, among which that of the headless horseman, until one night after leaving the ball, he is chased by the legendary Galloping Hessian. I read this story because I love the film, and was surprised to see how few pages, less than ten out of fifty, were actually devoted to the mystery of the headless horseman itself. Although very well written, with descriptions that are stunningly real, the book left me hungry for more. Set in the time of the Declaration of Independance of the United States, Rip van Winkle is the story of a man who, upon walking in the mountains with his dog, stumbles upon a strange man with a keg of liquor, and a small company of odd-looking folk playing a bowling game. When he wakes up the next morning, everything he used to know has changed...
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It was ok, but...
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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle are my favourite parts of this book. However, if you are buying this book on the strength of the movie Sleepy Hollow, the actual telling is very different. A good read.
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See the Film, Read The Book
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What can you say! The film is great the book is even better. GET IT
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