Describe the use of literary elements such as point of view, irony and tone in 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow'.

The
point of view is that of the fictional character Diedrich Knickerbocker who claims to have heard
the story from an old gentleman. Knickerbocker's account in turn is presented by the fictional
collector Geoffrey Crayon, who has put together the Sketch Book, the volume
in which this story appears. Therefore there are several narrative layers to this story, which
has a certain distancing effect on the actual events and characters; they are presented at
several removes. 

This distancing effect is increased by the ironic, or more
specifically mock-heroic tone employed in the narrative. Ichabod Crane is cast as a gallant
lover, or would-be lover who faces a fearsome challenge from a rival. He is described in terms
comparable to epic heroes of...