Washington Irving

a cura di G. D’Amico e M.C. Distefano
 Terrifying headless knights, likeable living ghosts and mysterious, silent people from the past both torment and enliven the lives of the remarkable protagonists of these stories. They are all set in a country going through great changes, starting with the American Revolution and the separation from the British monarchy, leaving behind old traditions and customs for new ones.
 Irving succeeds in giving life to very singular characters who still belong to the American cultural background today; in particular, the lanky and impressionable Ichabod Crane in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and the lazy and carefree Rip Van Winkle in the story of the same name.
 The Spectre Bridegroom completes this clear and vivid picture of an emerging late eighteenth-century America.
 Teacher's Resources available online: Answer Key - Audioscripts - Summing-up Activities 
 
 Terrificanti cavalieri senza testa, attraenti fantasmi viventi e misteriose persone dal passato tormentano e al contempo ravvivano la vita dei singolari protagonisti di queste storie, ambientate in un paese in fase di grandi cambiamenti, dalla rivoluzione americana alla separazione dalla monarchia britannica.
 Irving dà vita a personaggi molto particolari che, ancora oggi, appartengono al background culturale americano, delineando l’immagine suggestiva e suggestionabile di un’emergente America di inizio Ottocento.

Story 1 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Story 1.1 Ichabod Crane

Story 1.2 The headless horseman

Extension: North America: from Columbus to the revolution

Story 2 The Spectre Bridegroom

Extension: Traditional legends and urban legends

Story 3 Rip Van Winkle

Story 3.1 A tiring life

Story 3.2 A new life

Extension: Women mean trouble

Summing-up activities

Glossary

exclusive rights to farming, hunting, and fishing, but the Indians, though ????to share their land with the Europeans, did not want to leave it willing forever. The more New Netherland expanded, the more conflict began with its English neighbours, but this time it was the English colonists who won. The Dutch territories were therefore given by King Charles II to his brother the Duke of York, who, in 1664, changed the name of the capital, New Amsterdam, into New York. Gradually, the whole land changed, but Dutch influence and architecture are still evident in the area today.The colours of the Dutch flag3, for example, are still found in many of New York City s symbols and in some sports clubs  logos. Also, the Dutch celebration of St Nicholas on December 6 was probably the inspiration for  Santa Claus . A century later, in 1775, the Revolution began as an open conflict between the united thirteen colonies of North America and their original mother country, England. The war started because the Americans felt that they deserved4 all the rights of Englishmen and that they were treated differently and unfairly5:  No Taxation without Representation  became their motto. Fighting began in Boston, in 1775, where George Washington s army besieged6 the British for almost a year. In 1776, a group of men (the  Founding Fathers ), guided by Thomas Jefferson, wrote the Declaration of Independence. It stated7 the natural right of all men to change or overthrow8 any government that denied their rights. However, it was only when France later entered the war to sopport America that the British surrendered to Washington. The Treaty of Paris finally ended the war in 1783: the colonies had won their complete independence. 6. besieged: blocked. 7. stated: formally wrote. 8. overthrow: to remove from power. 3. flag: 4. deserved: merited. 5. unfairly: unjustly, wrongly. 36 

2 The Spectre Bridegroom BEFORE READING Story 1 Look at the title and think of possible endings to the story. Will there be a marriage between a girl and a ghost? Will the spectre bridegroom become human? Use your imagination and find alternatives. a. .................................................................................................................................................... b. .................................................................................................................................................... c. .................................................................................................................................................... 2 You will read about supernatural creatures. Match each of them to its definition. a. goblin 1. A visible spirit with no body, especially a terrifying one. b. spectre 2. Appearance of something that is not really there or does not exist. c. phantom 3. An evil spirit that is very bad or dangerous to people. d. ghost 4. The ghostly soul of a dead person, imagined as nearly transparent and travelling among the living to trouble and disturb them. 3 Put these aristocratic titles into order from the highest to the lowest in rank. Then, use the word  count  to complete this short passage and remember it can be both a noun and a verb! prince knight king The servants do a few count duke baron ........................... to check the number of dishes (1) and crystal glasses to be used at the banquet. They (2).......................... up to 30 guests, many of them very noble people   (3)....................., dukes, barons and knights of the best families   and start getting very anxious. Later on, they feel totally confused because they don t know if the spectre must be (4)...................... as a real guest or not! 37 

Narrativa inglese, livello B1 pre-intermedio. Irving dà vita a personaggi molto particolari del background culturale americano di inizio Ottocento.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Collana RAINBOWS

Level B1 • Pre-Intermediate - Collana RAINBOWS

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and other stories

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