Philosophers of the Enlightenment valued knowledge as a goal and believed that humans could use reason to understand the universe and improve the human condition. The Enlightenment was committed to rational, logical, and scientific thinking. Gothic literature emerged in England in the late 1700s in response to the Enlightenment. “Legend” in particular was a classic example of the very popular genre of Gothic literature. Irving’s “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” plays an important role in literature, and not just for the popularization of the Headless Horseman, described as the “commander-in-chief of all the powers of the air.” Written when Irving was living and traveling in Europe, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and Irving’s other writings from the time (around 1819-1820) established the American writer as a popular author in both American and in Europe. With these words, Washington Irving conjured to life a then-fictitious Sleepy Hollow, establishing the “enchanted region” as the heart of all things Halloween. The whole neighborhood abounds with local tales, haunted spots, and twilight superstitions…” They are given to all kinds of marvelous beliefs, are subject to trances and visions, and frequently see strange sights, and hear music and voices in the air. “Certain it is, the place…continues under the sway of some witching power, that holds a spell over the minds of the good people….
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