The Legend of Sleepy HollowThe story I chose to read by Washington Irving is 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.'; This story is set in a small town on the Hudson River that some call Greensburgh, but is more generally known as Tarry Town. The main character of the story, Ichabod Crane, who "stayed"; in Sleepy Hollow was born with the aim of educating the children of the surrounding area. The main point of the story begins with the arrival of a black man with an invitation for Ichabod to attend a party at Van Tassel's mansion. After receiving the good news, Ichabod arranged his best and only dress and borrowed a horse from Hans Van Ripper, to impress Mynheer Van Tassel's daughter, Katrina. He did this by dancing with her upon arriving at the party. During the dance, Brom Bones, who is a rival of Ichabod, sat brooding in a corner filled with jealousy and severely love-struck. When the dance ended, Ichabod was attracted by some wise people who, together with old Van Tassel, gossiped about the old times of the war. All these tales could not be compared to the tales of ghosts and apparitions that had followed the conversation. The Sleepy Hollow neighborhood is full of legendary treasures of the genre. Many residents of Sleepy Hollow were present at the Van Tassels, sharing their wild and wonderful legends. One story told was about old Brouwer and how he met the Headless Horseman returning from his trip to Sleepy Hollow. He galloped through thickets and bushes, over hills and swamps, until they reached the bridge, where the rider suddenly turned into a skeleton, throwing old Brouwer into the stream. This story was followed by one by Brom Bone. He said that, returning one night from a nearby village, he had been surprised by this "midnight"; soldier. This soldier had offered to compete with him for a bowl of punch, and when they reached the church bridge, the soldier vanished. All these tales sank deeply into Ichabod's mind. As he walked home from Van Tassel's party, all the stories of ghosts and goblins flocked to him. To go home he had to pass through the very place where all those stories were set. As he began to approach the tree on the road, he began to whistle. The whistle was answered by an explosion that abruptly swept away the dry branches. About two hours... halfway down the paper... It says: "Some say it is the ghost of a Hessian soldier, whose head had been blown off by a cannonball, in an unnamed battle" during the revolutionary war, and who is ever seen from time to time by the country people running in the darkness of the night, as if on the wings of the wind. The ghost rides to the site of the battle in a nightly search for his head; and that impetuous speed with which it passed along the Valley, like a midnight gust.'; These are just two of the many uses of Gothocism in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow".;Washington Irving uses humorous tone to convey his attitude towards the subject, characters and readers. The humorous tone prevents us from taking the act seriously. The first humorous tone I heard was: "Suddenly he heard a groan: his teeth chattered and his knees hit the saddle."; Here Irving shows a slightly humorous tone to take our minds off the gothic element that will happen. These are the three characteristics of a folktale and how Irving presents them in the book. Using these three characteristics, Irving takes what would be just another Halloween story and brings it from a completely different perspective.