Romanticism Introduction – English 11
Sleepy Hollow, dir. Tim Burton
Starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci
Sleepy Hollow is based on Washington Irving’s short story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,”
which is a classic of American Romantic literature. As you watch the movie, write down
examples of the following characteristics of Romantic literature, and make connections between
the movie and the important events of the Romantic time period that are listed. One example is
written in for you.
Romantic Element
Interest in the common man and
childhood
Strong senses, emotions, and
feelings
Love of nature
Celebration of the Individual
(it’s ok to be weird)
Importance of imagination
(fantastic elements)
Gothic elements (gothic: of or
relating to a style of writing that
describes strange or frightening
events that take place in
mysterious places)
Edgar Allan Poe writes the first
detective stories in which a main
character uses evidence to solve
crimes.
Example in/connection to this film
Ichabod Crane is a regular working guy.
Romantic Element
Edgar Allan Poe writes the first
horror stories.
Washington Irving writes stories
about the Dutch immigrants to
the New York/Hudson Valley
area.
Washington Irving incorporates
local legends and ghost stories
into his short stories.
Herman Melville’s father died
and his family lost all their
money.
Herman Melville becomes
famous with his tales of
adventure.
Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote a
famous story, “Young Goodman
Brown” about a character who
discovers that many seemingly
upstanding citizens of his village
are secretly practicing witchcraft.
Example in/connection to this film