Hoffmann is among the greatest and most popular of the German Romantics. This selection, while stressing the variety of his work, puts in the foreground those tales in which the real and the supernatural are brought into contact and conflict. The humour of these tales is a result of the incongruity of supernatural beings at large in an ostentatiously everyday world. They include The Golden Pot, recognized as Hoffmann's masterpiece by himself and posterity; its spine-chilling companion tale, The Sandman, which Offenbach drew on for his opera Tales of Hoffmann, and which Freud examines in his essay `The Uncanny'; two longer and more elaborate fantasies, set respectively in Germany and Italy; and the late story, My Cousin's Corner Window, which shows the powers of the imagination being applied to everyday urban life, and marks a transition in European literature generally from Romanticism to Realism. Ritchie Robertson's detailed introduction places the stories in their intellectual and historical context and explores their compelling narrative complexities.
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"The volume is very welcome as a prime choice for courses on nineteenth century fiction of on literature of the fantastic imagination."--Gerald Gillespie, Stanford University
"Excellent selection with extremely valuable and useful Introduction, Notes, and Chronology of Hoffmann's life....Reads very well, modern and smooth. Particularly gratified by attention Robertson gives to seventeenth- century artist Jacques Callot and influence he exerted on Hoffmann. All in all, a highly commendable piece of work."--David B. Dickens, Washington and Lee University
"The choice of tales, the introduction, the bibliography and the notes make this an extremely valuable text for any general literature course. Thanks to Oxford and the translator for finally making Hoffmann accessible through his best tales."--E.M. Chich, Williams College
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On Ascension Day, at three in the afternoon, a young man ran through the Black Gate in Dresden and right into a basket of apples and cakes which an ugly old woman was offering for sale. Read the first page
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On Ascension Day, at three in the afternoon, a young man ran through the Black Gate in Dresden and right into a basket of apples and cakes which an ugly old woman was offering for sale. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
E.T.A. Hoffmann is, in my opinion, one of the best and, sadly, unknown authors ever. I came across his name in a study of German Romanticism and even now whenever I want to escape this mundane reality I turn to his tales. Although known for the Nutcracker, his other tales are far more beautiful, moving and fantastic. The Golden Pot is perhaps the best story I have ever read. For anyone wishing so submerge him/herself in another world for a little while, a world of magic, beauty and horror, this is the best book one could choose. Each of his tales is unique, fantastic and exquisite.
By Caratacus
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Wow! E.T.A. Hoffmann's stories are totally stunning...a real rollercoaster ride! I'd just finished the 'Weird Tales Vol 1' collection and was hungry for more so I plumped for this collection.
The first thing that was a bit of a surprise was that this collection concentrates less on the sinister (or horrific) and more on the fantastic (or fairytale), the exception being "The Sandman" of course.
The collection includes "The Golden Pot", "The Sandman", "Princess Brambilla", "Master Flea" and "My Cousin's Corner Window". "The Sandman" of course is an absolute classic story that is truly unsettling to read. "The Golden Pot" and "Master Flea" are amazingly surreal fairy tales that just have to be read to be believed and I'm not even going to attempt to summarise them. However the three stories "The Sandman", "The Golden Pot" and "Master Flea" are a good litmus test for the reader - if you don't like any of these stories then you may as well avoid anything else by Hoffmann.
The only disappointing story for me was "Princess Brambilla" which has its moments and cracks along at a rapid pace but in the end is just too chaotic to be that fulfilling to read. Hoffmann certainly seems to like identity-confusion in his stories and this one has it in spades where the characters seem to switch identities throughout. Don't get me wrong, the story is still a fun read and would probably improve on a second reading, which was the case with "The Golden Pot".
Although I didn't actually read them in order I think the collection works well. "The Sandman" seems to be an obligatory inclusion to any Hoffmann collection but in this book it acts as a bit of a counterpoint to the fantasy/fairy tales by introducing a darker element to the book. Also the final story is a fitting way to end the book. Whereas the other stories are very surreal, "My Cousin's Corner Window" has no fantastic elements but essentially consists of a dialogue between a man and his crippled cousin discussing certain characters in a market place that can be viewed from a window. It's not exactly realism but compared to Hoffmann's other tales it seems a lot calmer.
I was very tempted to give this book five stars..very tempted, however "Princess Brambilla" just took the shine off a little. Still 9/10 would be a better rating...so close to perfection.
The first thing that was a bit of a surprise was that this collection concentrates less on the sinister (or horrific) and more on the fantastic (or fairytale), the exception being "The Sandman" of course.
The collection includes "The Golden Pot", "The Sandman", "Princess Brambilla", "Master Flea" and "My Cousin's Corner Window". "The Sandman" of course is an absolute classic story that is truly unsettling to read. "The Golden Pot" and "Master Flea" are amazingly surreal fairy tales that just have to be read to be believed and I'm not even going to attempt to summarise them. However the three stories "The Sandman", "The Golden Pot" and "Master Flea" are a good litmus test for the reader - if you don't like any of these stories then you may as well avoid anything else by Hoffmann.
The only disappointing story for me was "Princess Brambilla" which has its moments and cracks along at a rapid pace but in the end is just too chaotic to be that fulfilling to read. Hoffmann certainly seems to like identity-confusion in his stories and this one has it in spades where the characters seem to switch identities throughout. Don't get me wrong, the story is still a fun read and would probably improve on a second reading, which was the case with "The Golden Pot".
Although I didn't actually read them in order I think the collection works well. "The Sandman" seems to be an obligatory inclusion to any Hoffmann collection but in this book it acts as a bit of a counterpoint to the fantasy/fairy tales by introducing a darker element to the book. Also the final story is a fitting way to end the book. Whereas the other stories are very surreal, "My Cousin's Corner Window" has no fantastic elements but essentially consists of a dialogue between a man and his crippled cousin discussing certain characters in a market place that can be viewed from a window. It's not exactly realism but compared to Hoffmann's other tales it seems a lot calmer.
I was very tempted to give this book five stars..very tempted, however "Princess Brambilla" just took the shine off a little. Still 9/10 would be a better rating...so close to perfection.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars
6 reviews
37 of 37 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautiful, transcendent, and incredible book
27 Jan 1999
By A Customer
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
E.T.A. Hoffmann is, in my opinion, one of the best and, sadly, unknown authors ever. I came across his name in a study of German Romanticism and even now whenever I want to escape this mundane reality I turn to his tales. Although known for the Nutcracker, his other tales are far more beautiful, moving and fantastic. The Golden Pot is perhaps the best story I have ever read. For anyone wishing so submerge him/herself in another world for a little while, a world of magic, beauty and horror, this is the best book one could choose. Each of his tales is unique, fantastic and exquisite.
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An author worth reading.
1 April 2003
By Siena Williams
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
I would like to take a moment to correct a very common misconception about E.T.A. Hoffmann...in all fairness to him, Hoffmann should not be known for writing The Nutcracker on which the ballet is based. The ballet is based on the version of the story written by Alexandre Dumas NOT Hoffmann! Hoffmann's version (the original, and the version Tchaikovsky thought he was writing the music for, until Petipa, the choreographer, decided it was too dark and strange to be made into a ballet and went with the sweet and fluffy Dumas version), is far superior and definiately worth reading even though it is one of his lighter tales. It's more fantasically strange and wonderful than dark and scary. It's also not as thought-provoking as some of his other works. If you're planning to read it I recommend the copy with Maurice Sendak's illustrations, as they set off the tone and mood of the story perfectly.
In regards to this particular book (The Golden Pot and others), I have found that everything Herr Hoffmann wrote is worth reading...it's just unfortunate that there aren't more collections of his works available. I've had a devil of a time trying to find a good hardbound copy myself!
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
"The Golden Pot" is one of the great masterpieces of Western literature; read it
13 Nov 2008
By Prepaid Card
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
In 1814, E.T.A. Hoffmann wrote one of the best novellas I have had the good fortune to read. Regrettably, I neither speak nor understand German, and I only read "The Golden Pot" in translation, but it still managed to enchant me.
It is a fairytale -- subtitled "A Fairytale for the Modern Times" -- and attempting to adequately summarize the story would be pointless, which its true for every masterpiece. At a very basic level, the story pits the world of reality against the world of imagination/magic/wonder/poetry. It would be more accurate to say that the latter is active within the former, unbeknownst to the well-to-do inhabitants of early 19th century Dresden. Reading the "Golden Pot" will make you feel it is a great pity that you are not a citizen of Dresden at the beginning of the 19th century. To us, early 19th century Dresden is a faraway magical place of its own right, and so the "modern fairytale" aspect is rather lost to the modern reader. It would have been a much more fulfilling read in 1814, as one would recognize the aspects of the mundane world that Hoffmann describes, and would be thus able to derive greater pleasure from the descriptions of the fantastical that he masterfully weaves hidden in plain sight within it. Hoffmann has chosen an ingenious approach to the relationship between the reader and the writer, best showcased in the seventh vigil (chapter).
This magical novella is required reading by everyone, alongside the works of Shakespeare and Goethe (yes, Western Canon, I know). So what are you waiting for?
It is a fairytale -- subtitled "A Fairytale for the Modern Times" -- and attempting to adequately summarize the story would be pointless, which its true for every masterpiece. At a very basic level, the story pits the world of reality against the world of imagination/magic/wonder/poetry. It would be more accurate to say that the latter is active within the former, unbeknownst to the well-to-do inhabitants of early 19th century Dresden. Reading the "Golden Pot" will make you feel it is a great pity that you are not a citizen of Dresden at the beginning of the 19th century. To us, early 19th century Dresden is a faraway magical place of its own right, and so the "modern fairytale" aspect is rather lost to the modern reader. It would have been a much more fulfilling read in 1814, as one would recognize the aspects of the mundane world that Hoffmann describes, and would be thus able to derive greater pleasure from the descriptions of the fantastical that he masterfully weaves hidden in plain sight within it. Hoffmann has chosen an ingenious approach to the relationship between the reader and the writer, best showcased in the seventh vigil (chapter).
This magical novella is required reading by everyone, alongside the works of Shakespeare and Goethe (yes, Western Canon, I know). So what are you waiting for?
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