E.T.A. Hoffmann
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Ernst Theador Wilhelm Hoffmann was born in 1776 in Kőnigsberg (East Prussia). He changed his name (changing Wilhelm for Amadeus) out of his love for Mozart’s music. Hoffmann was at first a conductor and composer, only starting to write literature in 1814. Hoffmann suffered from madness which no doubt helped him to write such weird and wonderful tales. He married Micha whom he lived with all his life. In 1808 he was appointed Kappellmeister at Bamberg where he enjoyed some successes. Hoffmann wrote his masterpiece The Golden Pot in 1814. Hoffmann died of spinal paralysis at the age of 46. Hoffmann ended life as he had started, poor and disgraced. Hoffmann is one of the most popular Romantic authors. Heinrich Heine describes Hoffmann thus: “Hoffmann, with all his bizarre grotesques, still always keeps a firm grip on earthly reality.” Hoffmann brought humour, horror and the supernatural into everyday urban life through his works set in places like Dresden (The Golden Pot). |
Themes and Influences:
The main themes of Hoffmann’s works were the supernatural, madness, and the interplay of reality and the imagination. These themes are characteristically Romantic, and also occur in grotesque writings. Hoffmann was influenced by his mental state, one arguably troubled at least by his own literary creations, if not indeed by madness. Charles Rosen says, “Madness was an unpredictable form of inspiration. It had its own methods of persuasion, a logic of the night and of dreams, in some way as powerful as the logic practiced during the day.”
The Sandman – Der Sandmann
Written in 1814, it is regarded as a horror story which involves a created being (an automaton) by the name of Olimpia. (cf. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein). The story is about a man named Nathanael whose experiences as a child form the basis of the story. The Sandman is a figure used by his mother as a scare tactic to make Nathanel go to bed as a child. Nathanael writes a letter to his friend Lothar telling him how he has been troubled for years by memories of the Sandman. Nathanael becomes fixated with his memories, which trouble him in sleep and in consciousness. Nathanael’s father died when Nathanael was a young boy, during a visit from Coppelius the advocat. Together they had performed spells. Nathanael’s thoughts switch to Olimpia, the daughter of Spalanzini who lives opposite Nathanael. He begins to obsess about her. Little does he know that she is an automaton, a fact obvious to everyone but him. Nathanael goes mad and commits suicide after an encounter with Coppelius (the Sandman), Spalanzini and Olimpia.
The overriding themes in this story are madness, love and the supernatural.
The Golden Pot – Der goldne Topf.
A tale of the supernatural dealing with good verses evil. The Archivist Lindhorst represents good, whilst the old apple-woman represents evil. Anselmus must pass tests of loyalty to the good set by the Archivist, in order to win the hand of his daughter Serpentina. Veronika wants Anselmus for herself, and resorts to witchcraft to win his heart. Hoffmann juxtaposes fantasy and reality in this story, intertwining seemingly real scenes with fantasy and the supernatural.
Major Works:
The Sandman (1814)
The Golden Pot (1814)
Mademoiselle de Scudery (1819)
The doppelgänger
The Elixirs of the Devil
Princess Brambilla
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