Was Ichabod Crane a Spanko?

I was looking over the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Two details:

1. It makes a point that Ichabod spanked his students quite vigorously and often.

2. His "love interest" is one of his students, whom he presumably has spanked.

Just thinking...

Perhaps I'm making a non-existent link.

Ichabod, unrelatedly, is also described as being a nervous, superstitious and socially awkward individual.

He is said to be based on a real person.

Thanks,

Hittite

Interesting thought. I'm not very familiar with the story, not having read the original.

Though I'd expect his school room would be boys only. And no reason why a spanko has to be socially awkward.

If you've watched the TV series and seen the very hot, very sassy number Ichabod is running around with, all I can say is he'd better be.

The Ichabod in the TV show is about as far as one can get from the one in the original story. I think back in those days school masters were expected to be strict and not spare the rod.

AFAIK Ichabod Crane's pupils were all boys, and its stated that he dished out extra discipline (on the day in which the Washington Irving story takes place) because he was anticipating a romantic liaison with Katrina van Tassel at a party that evening. (I'm not aware that she was ever a student of his, but I haven't read the story for several decades.)

However, my impression was that the guy had merely been expending his excess energy via switching those pupils more than usual, not that he received any sexual gratification from doing so.

In the written account, Crane was a shallow, egotistical, unattractive person whom Katrina used in attempting to make her boyfriend (Brom Bones) jealous, and therefore more attentive to her in the future; he was also apparently superstitious and cowardly.

I've never considered the character to have had spankophile tendencies--administering corporal punishment was simply an expected part of his position as schoolmaster... --C.K.