Supernatural elements as a part of literature and art are nowadays very popular. There are different authors like Wolfgang Hohlbein taking up this topic in German literature as well. The short stories "Rip van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" which were published in 1820, experienced their renaissance in cinema over the past few years. In 1999 the American director Tim Burton, known for his interest in fantastic stories, used "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" as a model for his movie simply called Sleepy Hollow.
For this term paper it is necessary to take a look at Washington Irving as a romantic writer to understand his works in a wider context. Irving combined European and American aspects of romanticism. The political situation of the U.S.A. around 1800 is also important, because in his works Irving refers to it again and again. He tried to resolve the American identity crisis through his fiction. Furthermore I would like to examine closely what is supernatural about the stories mentioned and I will compare the supernatural elements of the stories. I would like to find out, if there is any difference in Washington Irving′s use of the supernatural elements and in which way these possible differences influence the plots of the stories. Before that is possible, at first the phenomenon of "The Supernatural" has to be defined and the differences between similar phenomena like "The Fantastic" and "The Miraculous" have to be pointed out carefully. Chapter four serves this purpose. The knowledge about "The Supernatural" can then be transferred on the analysis and the comparison in chapters five and six.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. WASHINGTON IRVING AS A ROMATIC WRITER
3. WASHINGTON IRVING AND THE AMERICAN SITUATION BETWEEN 1789 AND 1825
4. DEFINITION OF “THE SUPERNATURAL” AND ITS ROLE IN ROMANTIC LITERATURE
5. THE SUPERNATURAL ELEMENT IN “THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW”
6. COMPARISON OF THE SUPERNATURAL ELEMENTS WITH “RIP VAN WINKLE”
7. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
Research Objectives and Topics
This paper examines the usage of supernatural elements in Washington Irving's short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip van Winkle" by applying Tzvetan Todorov's theoretical framework of the fantastic. It aims to determine how these elements contribute to the narrative structure, reflect the American identity crisis of the early 19th century, and maintain reader uncertainty regarding rational versus supernatural explanations.
- Washington Irving's position within American Romanticism.
- The socio-political landscape of the United States between 1789 and 1825.
- Todorov's literary definition of the "Supernatural," the "Fantastic," and the "Miraculous."
- Comparative analysis of supernatural motifs in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip van Winkle."
- The role of character and reader indecision in defining supernatural literature.
Excerpt from the Book
Definition of the Supernatural and Its Role in Romantic Literature
Finding a definition of the supernatural is not easy. When taking a look at literature concerning the Supernatural, I found that there is no clear definition by now. The only work of importance, that tried to give a definition suitable for literary practice is the one of Todorov called “Einführung in die fantastische Literatur”. Nevertheless there were also a few critics of his work. A possible explanation for that could be that literary studies don’t like norms very much. Another reason could be that the research of the Supernatural is a very young topic and therefore not many works have been published in this field. In my opinion TODOROVS definition is the most useful concerning literary texts and that is why I will use it as a basis for this paper.
After carefully comparing Russian, English and French authors he specifies his definition by three requirements. At first the text has to tempt the reader to see the world of the characters as a world of living persons and it has to make him insecure if the happenings demand a natural or a supernatural explanation. Deep belief as well as absolute disbelief would lead out of the Supernatural. Furthermore this insecurity should be part of the work as such. There are persons in the text the reader can identify with and share his insecurity with them.
Summary of Chapters
1. INTRODUCTION: Outlines the popularity of supernatural literature and sets the research goal of comparing Irving’s short stories using Todorov’s theory.
2. WASHINGTON IRVING AS A ROMATIC WRITER: Situates Irving as a key American Romantic author who blended European and American sensibilities to portray the national identity.
3. WASHINGTON IRVING AND THE AMERICAN SITUATION BETWEEN 1789 AND 1825: Analyzes how the American identity crisis of the early 19th century is reflected in Irving's narratives.
4. DEFINITION OF “THE SUPERNATURAL” AND ITS ROLE IN ROMANTIC LITERATURE: Defines the core theoretical framework, focusing on Todorov’s criteria of reader and character indecision.
5. THE SUPERNATURAL ELEMENT IN “THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW”: Explores the Headless Horseman and how Irving uses atmosphere and character perspective to maintain ambiguity.
6. COMPARISON OF THE SUPERNATURAL ELEMENTS WITH “RIP VAN WINKLE”: Contrasts the two stories, noting that while both utilize indecision, "Sleepy Hollow" contains stronger elements of the Miraculous.
7. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION: Recaps the findings, confirming that both stories meet Todorov’s requirements for the supernatural despite their structural differences.
Keywords
Washington Irving, American Romanticism, Supernatural, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Rip van Winkle, Tzvetan Todorov, Fantastic, Miraculous, Identity Crisis, Narrative Ambiguity, Literature, 19th Century, Reader Indecision
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper focuses on analyzing how supernatural elements are employed in Washington Irving’s short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip van Winkle" through the lens of literary theory.
Which central thematic fields are covered?
The research covers American Romanticism, the socio-political context of the early 19th-century United States, and the literary definitions of supernatural, fantastic, and miraculous phenomena.
What is the core objective of the study?
The primary objective is to investigate how Irving uses supernatural elements to reflect the American identity crisis and whether these stories successfully create the "indecision" required for the genre of the fantastic.
What scientific methodology does the author use?
The author employs a comparative literary analysis based on the theoretical requirements established by Tzvetan Todorov in his work "Einführung in die fantastische Literatur."
What is examined in the main part of the work?
The main part analyzes Irving's role as a romantic writer, defines key theoretical concepts, explores the specific supernatural elements in the two chosen stories, and performs a comparative assessment.
Which keywords define this work?
Key terms include Washington Irving, American Romanticism, The Supernatural, The Fantastic, The Miraculous, and Narrative Indecision.
How does the author apply Todorov's theory to the Headless Horseman?
The author argues that the Headless Horseman legend is effectively used to create reader indecision by presenting both rational explanations (like Brom Bones’ prank) and supernatural possibilities.
Does "Rip van Winkle" align with the same definition of the supernatural as "Sleepy Hollow"?
The author concludes that while both stories share the phenomenon of indecision, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" includes additional qualities of the Miraculous that are less prominent in "Rip van Winkle."
- Citation du texte
- Daniel Nienaber (Auteur), 2002, Comparison of the supernatural elements in Washington Irving's short stories, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/12213
