E.T.A. Hoffmann

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Image:Eta-hoffman.jpg E. T. A. Hoffmann (Ernst Theodor Amadeus, originally Ernst Theodor Wilhelm, January 24, 1776 in Königsberg – June 25, 1822 in Berlin) was a Romantic and Fantasy Author, Jurist, Composer, Music critic, Draftsman and Caricaturist.

Hoffmann's stories were tremendously influential in the 19th century, and he is one of the key authors of the Romantic movement.

1 Life
- 1.1 1776 to 1799
2 Work
3 Assessment
4 Bibliography
5 References
6 External links

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Life

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1776 to 1799

Hoffmann's mother and father were both Jurists. His father, Christoph Ludwig Hoffmann was a Barrister in Königsberg, Prussia and in 1767 married his cousin Luise Albertine Doerffer. Ernst Theodor Wilhelm, born in 1776, was the youngest of three children. His parents separated in 1778, his Mother going to live with her relatives, two aunts and their brother, who were all unmarried. They took it upon themselves to educate the youngster.

Ernst Hoffmann studied at the Gymnasium in Königsberg. He then worked as a Referendar in Glogau, Silesia and in Berlin in Brandenburg and next in Prussian provinces in the area of Greater Poland and Mazovia: Posen in South Prussia and later on to Plock in New East Prussia. One of his tasks was to invent names for Jews. He found some poetic ones like Goldbaum or Apfelbaum.

He changed his third name from Wilhelm to Amadeus in 1813 in homage to the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791).

Hoffmann assimilated well in Polish society; the years spent in Poland he recognized as the happiest in his life. Unfortunately, after he was accused of spying for the Prussian king, social ostracism followed. In 1805 he moved again to Berlin, where he could further his talent as an artist and writer. Since 1814 he held a position at the Kammergericht, the chamber court.

Image:Grave of ETA Hoffmann.jpg Hoffmann died in Berlin in 1822 at the age of 46, and is buried near the Hallesches Tor, in the Jerusalem and New Churches Community Cemetery (his gravestone has his original initials).

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Work

Hoffmann wrote novels and short stories, and he composed music, including an opera, Undine. However, when reading the original text of E.T.A. Hoffmann's stories, one soon realizes that these stories were conceived and written at a politically very sensitive time. Comparable messages were expressed in earlier animal stories such as Reinicke Fuchs or Aesop's Fables. His most familiar story is "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King", which inspired the ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. His story "The Sandman" similarly inspired Delibes's ballet Coppelia.

The Nutcracker story is full of charming mimed phantasies with Marie (Clara in the ballet), Fritz and Pate Drosselmayr, the mean Mouse King and the popular Nutcracker. Many children's version books of the Nutcracker have been published. Nutcracker performances have become a yearly feature in many cities around Christmas time. Yet these stories, as with the majority of his literary work, point beyond themselves in philosophical terms; Hoffmann invariably moves into territory where an exploration of the nature of Selfhood, Art and value-judgements are required in order for the reader to enjoy Hoffmann's writings more fully. Stories are, in their various media, the ultimate form of self-definition and world-interpretation; it is through stories that Hoffmann expresses his aesthetic, ethical and political concerns.

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Assessment

Hoffmann is one of the best-known representatives of German Romanticism, and a pioneer of the fantasy genre, with a taste for the macabre combined with realism that influenced such authors as Franz Kafka, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, and Nikolai Gogol. Hoffmann's work illuminates the darker side of the human spirit found behind the hypocritical harmony of bourgeois life, yet his wide-ranging influence upon and creative significance within the later German romantic period is frequently underestimated.

Jacques Offenbach's masterwork, the opera Tales of Hoffmann, takes some cues from The Devil's Elixir and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet Nutcracker is based on a story by Hoffmann.

Hoffmann also influenced 19th-century musical taste directly through his music criticism. His reviews of Beethoven's fifth symphony and other important works set new literary standards for writing about music, and encouraged later writers to see music as "the most Romantic of all the arts." Hoffmann's reviews have been collected for modern readers by Andrew Crumey, in E.T.A. Hoffmann's Writings on Music, Collected in a Single Volume (2004).

Hoffmann strove for artistic polymathy. He created far more in his works than mere political commentary achieved through satire. His masterpiece (it is generally agreed) is Kater Murr (see bibliographical references below). This novel deals with such issues as the aesthetic status of 'true' artistry, and the modes of self-transcendence that accompany any genuine endeavour to create. Hoffmann's portrayal of the character Kreisler (a genius musician) is wittily counterpointed with the character of the tomcat Murr — a virtuoso illustration of artistic pretentiousness that many of Hoffmann's contemporaries found offensive and subvertive of Romantic ideals.

Hoffmann's literature points to the failings of many so-called 'artists' to differentiate between the superficial and the authentic aspects of such Romantic ideals. The self-conscious effort to impress must, according to Hoffmann, be divorced from the self-aware effort to create. This essential duality in Kater Murr is structurally conveyed through a discursive 'splicing together' of two biographical narratives. Such a framework warrants an extensive exploration of its philosophical implications.

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Bibliography

Der goldene Topf (The Golden Pot, a fable, 1814)
Die Elixiere des Teufels (The Devil's Elixir, 2 volumes, 1815/16)
Fantasiestücke in Callot's Manier (Fantastic pieces in the manner of Callot 4 volumes, 1814/15; with a commendatory preface by Jean Paul)
Nachtstücke (Night Pieces, 2 volumes, 1816/17)
Das Fräulein von Scuderi (Mademoiselle Scudéry, a short story considered his masterpiece, 1819)
Die Serapions-Brüder (The Serapion Band, 4 volumes, 1819-21) (After which the Serapion Fraternity of writers in early 20th Century Russia was to name itself.)
Die Lebensansichten des Katers Murr (two-volume fragment, 1819-21)
Seltsame Leiden eines Theaterdirektors
Klein Zaches genannt Zinnober
Die Irrungen
Die Geheimnisse
Der Sandmann

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References

This article is in the process of being upgraded with a translation of (retrieved March 14, 2006). The translation is currently at the end of the first paragraph of the Life section. The following references are cited by the German-language article:

Peter Braun: E. T. A. Hoffmann. Dichter, Zeichner, Musiker. Biographie. Düsseldorf u.a.: Artemis und Winkler. 2004, ISBN 3-538-07175-6
Klaus Deterding: Die Poetik der inneren und äußeren Welt bei E. T. A. Hoffmann. Zur Konstitution des Poetischen in den Werken und Selbstzeugnissen.[Dissertation, FU Berlin]. Frankfurt am Main u.a.: Lang. 1991. (= Berliner Beiträge zur neueren deutschen Literaturgeschichte; 15), ISBN 3-631-44062-6
Klaus Deterding: Magie des Poetischen Raums. E.T.A. Hoffmanns Dichtung und Weltbild, Heidelberg: Winter, 1999, 359 S., ISBN 3-8253-0541-4 (Beiträge zur neueren Literaturgeschichte. Dritte Folge, Band 152)
Klaus Deterding: Das allerwunderbarste Märchen. E.T.A. Hoffmanns Dichtung und Weltbild, Band 3, Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann, 2003, 187 S., 3-8260-2389-7
Klaus Deterding: Hoffmanns Poetischer Kosmos. E.T.A. Hoffmanns Dichtung und Weltbild, Band 4, Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann, 2003, 212 S., ISBN 3-8260-2615-2
Wilhelm Ettelt: E. T. A. Hoffmann. Der Künstler und Mensch, Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann, 1981, 143 S., ISBN 3-88479-031-5
Brigitte Feldges u. Ulrich Stadler: E. T. A. Hoffmann. Epoche - Werk - Wirkung. München: Beck. 1986, ISBN 3-406-31241-1
Ronald Fricke: Hoffmanns letzte Erzählung. Roman. Berlin: Rütten und Loening. 2000, ISBN 3-352-00561-3
Ronald Götting: E. T. A. Hoffmann und Italien. Frankfurt am Main u.a.: Lang. 1992. (= Europäische Hochschulschriften; Reihe 1, Deutsche Sprache und Literatur; 1347), ISBN 3-631-45371-X
Susanne Gröble: E. T. A. Hoffmann. Stuttgart: Reclam. 2000. (= Universal-Bibliothek; 15222), ISBN 3-15-015222-4
Klaus Günzel: E. T. A. Hoffmann. Leben und Werk in Briefen, Selbstzeugnissen und Zeitdokumenten., Bibliographie, Berlin 1976
Johannes Harnischfeger: Die Hieroglyphen der inneren Welt. Romantikkritik bei E. T. A. Hoffmann. Opladen: Westdt. Verl. 1988, ISBN 3-531-12019-0
Alfred Hoffmann: E. T. A. Hoffmann. Leben und Arbeit eines preußischen Richters. Baden-Baden: Nomos-Verl. 1990, ISBN 3-7890-2125-3
Christian Jürgens: Das Theater der Bilder. Ästhetische Modelle und literarische Konzepte in den Texten E. T. A. Hoffmanns. Heidelberg: Manutius-Verl. 2003, ISBN 3-934877-29-X
Gerhard R. Kaiser: E. T. A. Hoffmann. Stuttgart: Metzler. 1988. (= Sammlung Metzler; 243; Realien zur Literatur), ISBN 3-476-10243-2
Werner Keil: E. T. A. Hoffmann als Komponist. Studien zur Kompositionstechnik an ausgewählten Werken. Wiesbaden: Breitkopf und Härtel. 1986. (= Neue musikgeschichtliche Forschungen; 14), ISBN 3-7651-0229-6
Ute Klein: Die produktive Rezeption E. T. A. Hoffmanns in Frankreich. Frankfurt am Main u.a.: Lang. 2000. (= Kölner Studien zur Literaturwissenschaft; 12), ISBN 3-631-36535-7
Eckart Kleßmann: E. T. A. Hoffmann oder die Tiefe zwischen Stern und Erde. Eine Biographie. Frankfurt am Main: Insel-Verl. 1995. (= Insel-Taschenbuch; 1732), ISBN 3-458-33432-7
Sigrid Kohlhof: Franz Fühmann und E. T. A. Hoffmann. Romantikrezeption und Kulturkritik in der DDR. Frankfurt am Main u.a.: Lang. 1988. (= Europäische Hochschulschriften; Reihe 1; Deutsche Sprache und Literatur; 1044), ISBN 3-8204-0286-1
Detlef Kremer: Romantische Metamorphosen. E. T. A. Hoffmanns Erzählungen. Stuttgart u.a.: Metzler. 1993, ISBN 3-476-00906-8
Detlef Kremer: E. T. A. Hoffmann zur Einführung. Hamburg: Junius. 1998. (= Zur Einführung; 166), ISBN 3-88506-966-0
Rainer Lewandowski: E. T. A. Hoffmann und Bamberg. Fiktion und Realität. Über eine Beziehung zwischen Leben und Literatur. Bamberg: Fränkischer Tag. 1995, ISBN 3-928648-20-9
Hartmut Mangold: Gerechtigkeit durch Poesie. Rechtliche Konfliktsituationen und ihre literarische Gestaltung bei E.T.A. Hoffmann. Wiesbaden: Dt. Univ.-Verl. 1989, ISBN 3-8244-4030-X
Rolf Meier: Dialog zwischen Jurisprudenz und Literatur: Richterliche Unabhängigkeit und Rechtsabbildung in E.T.A. Hoffmanns `Das Fräulein von Scuderi`. Baden-Baden: Nomos Verl.Ges. 1994, ISBN 3-7890-3428-2
Marko Milovanovic: "Die Muse entsteigt einem Fass". Was E.T.A. H. tatsächlich in Berliner Kneipen trieb. In: Kritische Ausgabe 1/2005, ISSN 1617-1357, 17 ff.
Magdolna Orosz: Identität, Differenz, Ambivalenz. Erzählstrukturen und Erzählstrategien bei E.T.A. Hoffmann. Frankfurt am Main u.a.: Lang. 2001. (= Budapester Studien zur Literaturwissenschaft 1), ISBN 3-631-38248-0
Stefan Ringel: Realität und Einbildungskraft im Werk E. T. A. Hoffmanns. Köln u.a.: Böhlau. 1997, ISBN 3-412-04697-3
Rüdiger Safranski: E. T. A. Hoffmann. Das Leben eines skeptischen Phantasten. Frankfurt am Main: Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verl. 2000. (= Fischer-Taschenbücher; 14301), ISBN 3-596-14301-2
Richard von Schaukal: E. T. A. Hoffmann. Sein Werk aus seinem Leben. Zürich, Leipzig, Wien: Amalthea-Verlag 1923
Dirk Schmidt: Der Einfluß E.T.A. Hoffmanns auf das Schaffen Edgar Allan Poes. Marburg: Tectum-Verl. 1996. (= Edition Wissenschaft; Reihe vergleichende Literaturwissenschaft; 2), ISBN 3-89608-592-1
Olaf Schmidt: „Callots fantastisch karikierte Blätter“. Intermediale Inszenierungen und romantische Kunsttheorie im Werk E. T. A. Hoffmanns. Berlin: Schmidt. 2003. (= Philologische Studien und Quellen; 181), ISBN 3-503-06182-7
Wulf Segebrecht: Heterogenität und Integration. Studien zu Leben, Werk und Wirkung E. T. A. Hoffmanns. Frankfurt am Main u.a.: Lang. 1996. (= Helicon; 20), ISBN 3-631-47202-1
Hartmut Steinecke: E. T. A. Hoffmann. Stuttgart: Reclam. 1997. (= Universal-Bibliothek; 17605), ISBN 3-15-017605-0
Hartmut Steinecke: Die Kunst der Fantasie. E.T.A. Hoffmanns Leben und Werk. Frankfurt am Main u.a.: Insel-Verl. 2004, ISBN 3-458-17202-5
Odila Triebel: Staatsgespenster. Fiktionen des Politischen bei E. T. A. Hoffmann. Köln u.a.: Böhlau. 2003. (= Literatur und Leben; N.F., 60), ISBN 3-412-07802-6
Gerhard Weinholz: E. T. A. Hoffmann. Dichter, Psychologe, Jurist. Essen: Verl. Die Blaue Eule. 1991. (= Literaturwissenschaft in der Blauen Eule; 9), ISBN 3-89206-431-8
Gabrielle Wittkop-Ménardeau: E. T. A. Hoffmann. Mit Selbstzeugnissen und Bilddokumenten. 12. Aufl. Reinbek bei Hamburg: Rowohlt. 1992. (= Rowohlts Monografien; 113), ISBN 3-499-50113-9
Kenneth B. Woodgate: Das Phantastische bei E. T. A. Hoffmann. Frankfurt am Main u.a.: Lang. 1999. (= Helicon; 25), ISBN 3-631-34453-8