10 Classic Pieces Of Literature Perfect For Halloween

10. The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow - Washington Irving

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was first published in 1820 in a collection of essays by American author Washington Irving. Little did Irving know how popular his short story would become. Who doesn't know of the tale of the headless horseman? The subject matter has been adapted, parodied, and recreated through various means since as early as 1922. We've seen Tim Burton brilliantly tackle the subject matter and many children have grown up with various cartoon adaptations featuring the eponymous villain. We all know the story - or at least we think we do.

The original tale features schoolteacher Ichabod Crane as he competes for the hand of the beautiful and wealthy Katrina van Tassel. Abraham "Bram Bones" is the town hero and Ichabod's rival. After a night of partying and ghost stories Crane fails to impress Katrina and leaves the party crestfallen. It's then that he encounters the headless horseman and is pursued by the ghastly figure. Crane's ultimate fate is left ambiguous and it is open to interpretation whether the ghost of the headless horseman was real or simply a prank to forever scare poor Ichabod away.

Most recently FOX has adapted the tale into a new television series titled simply "Sleepy Hollow" which deviates heavily from the source material. Despite this, and despite lacking any true scares, the show has been rather well-received. If you're looking for something different this year we recommend picking up Irving's original story.