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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is one of the most well-known stories in American literature, and with good reason. Throughout his story, Washington Irving uses many stylistic ideas to create a fantastically detailed and descriptive romantic folk tale. Irving begins The Legend of Sleepy Hollow with a vivid discription of the setting of his story. Begining with the Dutch history of the area, he goes on to describe the town as "one of the quietest places in the whole world", with a tranquil brook running through it and the sweet sounds of chirping birds all around (1). Irving delves into the town's history, citing Indian legends which say that the town is "bewitched", and that those who live there often have their eyes and ears play tricks on them (1). His focus in this description is to give the history of a little sleepy town, using an element of romanticism to choose his peaceful, remote setting, and paying special attention to the nature and native legends of the area. He spices up his story with many other examples of this local color, such as the details of Baltus Van Tassel's farm. His land is described as being "one of those green, sheltered, fertile nooks in which the Dutch farmers are so fond of nesting," with elms, alders,