National Network for Equitable Library Service

Washington Irving weaves a bewitching tale with hints of the gothic to expose a darkness pervading social stratification in 19th-century America. In Irving’s best-known short story, a teacher vying for the hand of a wealthy socialite finds his romantic moment disrupted by the appearance of a headless horseman who terrifies him on a midnight ride through the countryside, leaving readers with such haunting questions as: Was the headless horseman a rival suitor in disguise? Where was Scooby Doo during all of this? Would a horseman without a head qualify for accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act? And what kind of name is “Ichabod” anyway?