Romanticism In Washington Irving's The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow

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The romanticism was the response to the Industrial Age. That movement began in America from 1820 ’s to 1870’s. Washington Irving was part of that movement which began in America after Revolutionary War. They tried to separate them from the rest of the world and create a country as a nation. They used their chance of individuality and creativity, and they addressed economic social and many other concerns by their writings. While Washington Irving was writing “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (1820), it was the time when Great Britain reached independence and all over the world were going many changes. In this story, he described the small village with its rural life where everything remained the same far from the immigration and improvement of the …show more content…

Supernaturalism is very common in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” The tale contains elements of supernatural including the headless horseman who was ghosted by one soldier. In the tale, the legends about horseman continued, and people believe in its existence. Nature in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” was part of supernatural as it contained horrific qualities in it. In the story, the Hudson River was part of supernatural as it becomes the force of mystery as the night becomes darker and darker and headless horseman came there. Considering the common man as a hero was spread in America and the hero was the one who separated from others by his voluntary positive actions for society. The hero should not be necessary to follow the society’s rules. The American romantic hero should do innovations and adventures. In “Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ there are many heroic qualities, but there is not one person who is a real hero. Many characters showed heroic behavior in this tale. I want you to note that even Stowe who was a black man does not behave as a black person, but instead, he showed a heroic model of behavior that should be appreciated by black and white people as well. And of course, Tom who presented more than a black hero, he was the author of transcending race. In “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” the candidate of hero is Brom Bones. He was famous in his countryside because of his horsemanship and strength. Also, he was a head of a group of people, and he was role model

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