The Changing of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

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The Changing of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

"Once upon a time" is the predictable beginning of a fairy tale and "happily ever after" is the ending. "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving is a classical myth that defies the conventional standards of a fairy tale. Set in a valley in New England, It's a gothic tale of mystery and suspense that bears no definite ending surrounding the myth of the "Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow" (Heath 1355). The original text created by Irving was intended for the mature reader, a reader who could understand a sense of irony, had knowledge of history, and taste. What of and how has "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" remained successful with audiences through a period of over one hundred and seventy years? The changes implemented in the text vary by editor from none to several, to create a family movie few changes were taken by Disney, but to create a mainstream movie the changes made by Director Tim Burton are many.

Over time the language of the original text of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Irving has been reworked to accommodate the change in audience. The Heath Anthology of American Literature has an unabridged version of the original wording (1354-1373). A complete copy of the original text of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" can be found in the young adolescent classic section of a bookstore or the juvenile section in the library. A juvenile edition of the text adapted by Arthur Rackham from 1928 was a replicate of the original it is filled with seven colored illustrations and numerous sketching. A young adolescent version adapted by Bryan Brown from 2001 has been abridged to accommodate the current young reader. The format is changed in Brownâs edition. The yo...

... middle of paper ...

... the retelling of the tale of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."

Works Cited and Consulted

Dizard, Wilson, Jr. Old Media New Media: Mass Communications in The Information Age. New York: Longman, 2000.

Fowles, Jib. The Case for Television Violence. California: Sage Publications, 1999.

Irving, Washington. "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Ed. Illustrated Arthur Rackham. United States: David McKay, 1928.

Irving, Washington. "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Ed. Bryan Brown. New York: Masterwork Books, 2001.

Irving, Washington. "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." The Heath Anthology of American Literature. 3rd ed. Vol. 1. Ed. Jayne M. Fargnoli. New York: Houghton, 1998. 1354-1373.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Narr. Bing Crosby. Disney Mini Classic, 1949.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Dir. Tim Burton. Perf. Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, 1999.

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