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| Title | : | Der Sandmann |
| Author | : | E.T.A. Hoffmann |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 83 pages |
| Published | : | 1986 by Insel Verlag (first published January 19th 1816) |
| Categories | : | Classics. Horror. European Literature. German Literature. Short Stories. Academic. School |
E.T.A. Hoffmann
Paperback | Pages: 83 pages Rating: 3.71 | 9149 Users | 403 Reviews
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I read this rather (no very) creepy tale years ago, and while I truly enjoyed and above all appreciated E. T. A. Hoffmann's Der Sandmann, I also do not much feel like a detailed and intense rereading at this time, as the plot, the thematics actually repeatedly produced some rather vivid and glaring nightmares when I perused it, first for a German Romanticism course in undergrad and then later for my PhD Comprehensive Examinations (I still recall that there were dancing mechnical maniacal dolls, and a sandman who was anything but benevolent and was forever watching me with strange eyes, monitoring me, and during my PhD Comprehensive preparation phase, even nastily admonishing me to read my massive and awe-inspiring reading list always and ever faster and faster, yikes, it still gives me the shivers). A most definitely imaginative and wonderful, but also more than disturbing sojourn into E.T.A. Hoffmann's dark, grasping and uncanny night of the soul (interesting, even fun at times, but Der Sandmann is basically a story that is for all intents and purposes presents a 19th century horror genre experiment), and is thus most definitely a fairy tale (a Kunstmärchen) for adults, and NOT really appropriate for young children. And by the way, the "dancing doll" episode in Jacques Offenbach's famous opera, The Tales of Hoffmann, while brilliant and evocative in and of itself, is also (at least from a creepiness and uncanniness point of view) but a pale and tame reflection of Der Sandmann (on which the episode is distinctly but still rather loosely based).
Identify Books During Der Sandmann
| Original Title: | Der Sandmann |
| ISBN: | 3458326340 (ISBN13: 9783458326342) |
| Edition Language: | German |
Rating About Books Der Sandmann
Ratings: 3.71 From 9149 Users | 403 ReviewsCommentary About Books Der Sandmann
Such a short but brilliant book. I remember hating it when I was forced to read it back in school but somehow ended up loving it even back then- I choose to write my final examination about its characters. Rereading it, I'm still amazed by Nathanael's story. Although the book is rather short, it offers a lot. Beginning with the retelling of a horrible incident in his childhood, it proceeds to show how this early incident shapes his years as a student. Nathanael is the prime example of a youth inGreat fantastic story-telling by a troubled man. Science and technology versus magic, madness, life and death -- key themes from this Romantic period German author. Who is really sane? And whom can you trust? Eyeglasses, telescopes, mirrors, and other optically refractive devices abound as symbols of the inescapbability of perspective in observation (nothing can be viewed directly or understood objectively and without bias). And automatons (another key period device) are present as technology
A masterpiece of horror fiction, which features a surprisingly modern and complex dialectical analysis of the plot events by the characters themselves, who divide into rationalist and subjectivist camps and offer a kind of running commentary on the story. I'm surprised it was never subjected to a book-length deconstruction by Derrida or Barthes. The story is an unmistakable milestone in the formation of the modern conception of the unconscious. It tremendously impressed Freud and Kafka, is a
I really enjoyed this. I've never read anything by E.T.A. Hoffmann before (the Sandman is part of my assigned reading for a class I'm taking this semester) but it was a really good read. Reminded me of Frankenstein in a lot of places (Nathanael's actions and letters basically screamed Victor Frankenstein to me as well as the origin of him and Clara's relationship) especially with the whole 'how far can we go with science and technology in terms of humanity' thing that Olimpia represented. The
About the title story only...E.T.A. HOFFMANN, The Sandman(1816). Remarkably modern-feeling in theme, probably because lately we've had quite a few writers harking back to this kind of story. The sinister traveling merchant Coppelius/Coppola, selling his 'eyes-a' is reflected in Ilse, Who Saw Clearly by E. Lily Yu, for example. And of course, the whole steampunk genre loves to explore the idea of clockwork automata.To a modern reader, the structure of the story flows a bit oddly and unevenly, and
I felt sick to my stomach throughout most of this. Theres nothing overly supernatural, creepy, or terrifying - just a horribly unsettling undercurrent of tension and dread running underneath each word. Its a marvel.Hoffmans skill here isnt in depicting ghouls or demons, but in showing us the effects an encounter with such (whether perceived or otherwise) can have on the human psyche. Our protagonist is plagued by a situation from his childhood, and subconsciously seems to seek this out in his
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