Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow vs. The 1980s Televisi

When we compare Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow to the 1980 television movie The Legend of Sleepy Hollow starring Meg Foster, Dick Butkus, and Jeff Goldblum, we find that while there are several similarities between the two, there are also some key differences. When we look at various characters as well as the storyline, we see those similarities and differences. Washington Irving’s depiction of Katrina Van Tassel is that she was â€Å"a little of a coquette† and liked to mix older and modern fashions—â€Å"she wore the†¦stomacher of the older time; and withal a provokingly short petticoat, to display the prettiest foot and ankle† (Irving 325)—because they accentuated her best features. Add in her beauty—â€Å"a blooming lass of fresh eighteen; plump as a partridge; ripe and melting and rosy cheeked†Ã¢â‚¬â€and it seems that she is a good candidate for being a tease. Her immense grasp of her sex is illustrated by the fact that she plays Ichabod Crane against her other suitor, Brom Bones. The true nature of Katrina’s character comes through when we see Ichabod leave the party â€Å"quite desolate and chop-fallen† (Irving 334-35) and we have to wonder as Irving did: â€Å"was her encouragement of the poor pedagogue all a mere sham to secure her conquest of his rival?† ( Irving 335). It seems that all evidence points to the affirmative in Irving’s story; Ichabod is not seen again, and Katrina marries Brom. In comparison, the movie’s version of Katrina Van Tassel is somewhat altered. Meg Foster’s Katrina seems to be a spirited woman; unlike the story, she is (eventually) quite taken with Ichabod but not interested in Brom Bones in the slightest. One example of her spiritedness is shown in the first few minutes of her introduction: Jeff Go... ...rbidden love, whereas Irving’s tale is a tale of possible unrequited love. The characters are vaguely similar in both the written story and the movie, but the glaring difference is that while Ichabod possibly flees from Sleepy Hollow because he was frightened beyond his limits, the movie allows him to denounce any superstition in order to wed his beloved. There are many conclusions we can draw from the characters as well the storylines from the book and movie. It is up to each of us to decide what kind of characters we want to see; just as it is our own choice in deciding how the story ends. Katrina Van Tassel, Brom Bones, and Ichabod Crane will always be central to the story of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, just as they are important to the nuances of the story, but it is up to us, the readers and viewers, to draw our own conclusions about the headless horseman. Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow vs. The 1980's Televisi When we compare Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow to the 1980 television movie The Legend of Sleepy Hollow starring Meg Foster, Dick Butkus, and Jeff Goldblum, we find that while there are several similarities between the two, there are also some key differences. When we look at various characters as well as the storyline, we see those similarities and differences. Washington Irving’s depiction of Katrina Van Tassel is that she was â€Å"a little of a coquette† and liked to mix older and modern fashions—â€Å"she wore the†¦stomacher of the older time; and withal a provokingly short petticoat, to display the prettiest foot and ankle† (Irving 325)—because they accentuated her best features. Add in her beauty—â€Å"a blooming lass of fresh eighteen; plump as a partridge; ripe and melting and rosy cheeked†Ã¢â‚¬â€and it seems that she is a good candidate for being a tease. Her immense grasp of her sex is illustrated by the fact that she plays Ichabod Crane against her other suitor, Brom Bones. The true nature of Katrina’s character comes through when we see Ichabod leave the party â€Å"quite desolate and chop-fallen† (Irving 334-35) and we have to wonder as Irving did: â€Å"was her encouragement of the poor pedagogue all a mere sham to secure her conquest of his rival?† ( Irving 335). It seems that all evidence points to the affirmative in Irving’s story; Ichabod is not seen again, and Katrina marries Brom. In comparison, the movie’s version of Katrina Van Tassel is somewhat altered. Meg Foster’s Katrina seems to be a spirited woman; unlike the story, she is (eventually) quite taken with Ichabod but not interested in Brom Bones in the slightest. One example of her spiritedness is shown in the first few minutes of her introduction: Jeff Go... ...rbidden love, whereas Irving’s tale is a tale of possible unrequited love. The characters are vaguely similar in both the written story and the movie, but the glaring difference is that while Ichabod possibly flees from Sleepy Hollow because he was frightened beyond his limits, the movie allows him to denounce any superstition in order to wed his beloved. There are many conclusions we can draw from the characters as well the storylines from the book and movie. It is up to each of us to decide what kind of characters we want to see; just as it is our own choice in deciding how the story ends. Katrina Van Tassel, Brom Bones, and Ichabod Crane will always be central to the story of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, just as they are important to the nuances of the story, but it is up to us, the readers and viewers, to draw our own conclusions about the headless horseman.