History and Storytelling Theme Analysis

At the beginning of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” we learn from Diedrich Knickerbocker, the fictional historian narrating the tale, that it took place “in a remote period of American history, that is to say, some thirty years since”—meaning in 1790, thirty years before the story was published in 1820. A classic example of Irving’s irony and humor with its description of 30 years ago as a “remote period,” this quotation nonetheless underlines a real problem for early American storytellers, who lacked a long, distinguished American history from which to draw. They could neither rely on this history as material for fiction nor rely on its aesthetic legacy in fitting their own stories into a larger meaning. Irving’s use of older Dutch and German sources was one way to get around this problem. In fact, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is full of references to Dutch names, places, and social groups. Early American New York was, indeed, inhabited by many people of Dutch origin, but the references also served to create an artificial historical heritage. Irving even claims historical veracity for this tale by creating the fictional character of Diedrich Knickerbocker. “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is supposed to have been found among Knickerbocker’s papers, so Irving’s story is no more than a transcription of this “true” story. Such a device, called framing, helps to lend a sense of age and legitimacy to the tale (and would have been especially attractive to Irving, as a historian and essayist himself). This historical frame is also complicated and nuanced—while Knickerbocker is referred to as a “historian,” there are parts of the story he doesn’t know. It turns out that Knickerbocker’s story is also a frame for the tale of another storyteller, who appears in the postscript. “I don’t believe one-half of it myself,” this storyteller admits concerning his own tale, thus melding and confusing history and fiction in both humorous and disconcerting ways.

In addition, even within the tale, history and storytelling interact and often fuse. Tarry Town is described as one of the quietest places in the world; even Ichabod Crane is only “tarrying” there, passing his time idly until his “real” life can begin. History doesn’t happen in Sleepy Hollow—it takes place elsewhere, offstage. Nevertheless, many of the tall tales the Dutch residents tell, including those of Major André and the Headless Horseman, take place during the Revolutionary War and are unthinkable without this true historical context. By mixing history with tall tales, therefore, Irving helps to construct an artistic heritage to go along with a budding historical legacy for the new American nation.