During the 1800's Washington Irving was critical in American Literature's separation from Britain. He wrote the "Sketch Book" which included stories such as "Rip Van Winkle" and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". It was the first book by an American writer to become popular outside of the United States and helped establish American writing as a respectable form of literature. In "The legend of Sleepy Hollow" Irving's clever use of imagery and descriptive writing disguise his intent, leaving the reader to decipher the meaning of his words. His use of imagery and descriptive writing when he s…
