Difference between revisions of "E. T. A. Hoffmann" - New World Encyclopedia

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==Work==
 
==Work==
Hoffmann wrote novels and short stories, and he composed music, including an [[opera]], [[Undine (opera by Hoffmann)|''Undine'']] ([[1814]]).
+
Hoffmann wrote novels and short stories, and he composed music, including an [[opera]], ''Undine'' (1814).
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 very sensitive time politically. Comparable messages were expressed in earlier animal stories such as [[Reynard|Reinicke Fuchs]] or [[Aesop's Fables]].
+
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 very sensitive time politically. Comparable messages were expressed in earlier animal stories such as Reinicke Fuchs or [[Aesop]]'s Fables.
His most familiar story is “Nussknacker und Mausekönig [‘Nutcracker and Mouse King’]” ([[1816]]), which inspired [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]'s ballet ''[[The Nutcracker]]'' ([[1892]]). His story “[[Der Sandmann]] [‘The Sandman’]” ([[1816]]) similarly inspired [[Delibes]]'s ballet ''[[Coppélia]]'' ([[1870]]).
 
  
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 versions of the “Nutcracker” have been published as children's books. ''[[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.
+
His most familiar story is “Nussknacker und Mausekönig [‘Nutcracker and Mouse King’]” (1816), which inspired [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]'s ballet ''The Nutcracker'' (1892). His story “Der Sandmann [‘The Sandman’]” (1816) similarly inspired [[Delibes]]'s ballet ''Coppélia'' (1870).
 +
 
 +
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 versions of the “Nutcracker” have been published as children's books. ''Nutcracker'' performances have become a yearly feature in many cities around Christmas time.
  
 
==Assessment==
 
==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 (arts)|realism]] that influenced such authors as [[Edgar Allan Poe]] ([[1809]]–[[1849]]), [[Nikolai Gogol]] ([[1809]]–[[1852]]), [[Charles Dickens]] ([[1812]]–[[1870]]), [[Charles Baudelaire]] ([[1821]]–[[1867]]), and [[Franz Kafka]] ([[1883]]–[[1924]]). 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.
+
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 (arts)|realism]] that influenced such authors as [[Edgar Allan Poe]] (1809–1849), [[Nikolai Gogol]] (1809–1852), [[Charles Dickens]] (1812–1870), [[Charles Baudelaire]] (1821–1867), and [[Franz Kafka]] (1883–1924). Hoffmann's work illuminates the darker side of the human spirit found behind the placid surface 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 ''[[Les contes d'Hoffmann]]'' [‘''The Tales of Hoffmann''’] ([[1881]]),  is based on the stories “[[Der Sandmann]] [‘The Sandman’]” ([[1816]]), “[[Rath Krespel]] [‘Councilor Krespel’]” ([[1818]]), and “Das verlorene Spiegelbild [‘The Lost Reflection’]” from “[[Die Abenteuer der Silvester-Nacht]] [‘The Adventures of New Year's Eve’]” ([[1814]]). [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]'s ballet ''[[The Nutcracker]]'' ([[1892]]) is based on a story by Hoffmann.
+
[[Jacques Offenbach]]'s masterwork, the opera ''Les contes d'Hoffmann'' [‘''The Tales of Hoffmann''’] (1881),  is based on the stories “Der Sandmann [‘The Sandman’]” (1816), “Rath Krespel [‘Councilor Krespel’]” (1818), and “Das verlorene Spiegelbild [‘The Lost Reflection’]” from “Die Abenteuer der Silvester-Nacht [‘The Adventures of New Year's Eve’]” (1814). [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]'s ballet ''The Nutcracker'' (1892) is based on a story by Hoffmann.
  
Hoffmann also influenced 19th-century musical taste directly through his music criticism. His reviews of [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s [[Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven)|Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67]] ([[1808]]) 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 were first collected for modern readers by [[Friedrich Schnapp]], ed., in ''E.T.A. Hoffmann: Schriften zur Musik; Nachlese'' ([[1963]]) <!-- Didn't Maassen first do this back at the beginning of the 20th century in his edition of Hoffmann's works? —> and have been made available in an English translation by Andrew Crumey, ed., in ''E.T.A. Hoffmann's Writings on Music, Collected in a Single Volume'' ([[2004]]).
+
Hoffmann also influenced 19th-century musical taste directly through his music criticism. His reviews of [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s [[Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven)|Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67]] (1808) 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 were first collected for modern readers by Friedrich Schnapp, ed., in ''E.T.A. Hoffmann: Schriften zur Musik; Nachlese'' (1963) <!-- Didn't Maassen first do this back at the beginning of the 20th century in his edition of Hoffmann's works? —> and have been made available in an English translation by Andrew Crumey, ed., 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 ''[[Lebensansichten des Katers Murr]]'' [‘''The Life and Opinions of Tomcat Murr''’] ([[1819]]&ndash;[[1821]]). 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 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 ''Lebensansichten des Katers Murr'' [‘''The Life and Opinions of Tomcat Murr''’] (1819&ndash;1821). This novel deals with such issues as the aesthetic status of 'true' artistry, and the modes of self-transcendence that accompany any genuine endeavor 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.
 
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.

Revision as of 04:10, 9 December 2006

[

E.T.A. Hoffmann
Born
January 24, 1776
Königsberg, East Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia
Died
June 25, 1822
Berlin, Province of Brandenburg, Kingdom of Prussia

Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann (January 24, 1776 – June 25, 1822), better known by his pen name E. T. A. Hoffmann, was a Romantic author of fantasy and horror, a 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.

Life

1776 to 1799

Hoffmann's ancestors, both maternal and paternal, were jurists. His father, Christoph Ludwig Hoffmann (1736–1797) was a barrister in Königsberg, Prussia, and in 1767 married his cousin Lovisa Albertina Doerffer (1748–1798). Ernst Theodor Wilhelm, born on January 24, 1776, was the youngest of three children. His parents separated in 1778. Ernst's elder brother, Johann Ludwig Hoffmann (1768–after 1822), stayed with their father, while Ernst's mother took him to live with her relatives, two aunts and their brother, Otto Wilhelm Doerffer (1741–1811), who were all unmarried. This trio took it upon themselves to educate the youngster. E.T.A Hoffman wrote the Nutcracker after his girlfriend died.

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

In 1813, he began to use the pen name “E. T. A. Hoffmann”, telling people that the “A.” stood for Amadeus, in homage to the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791). However, he continued to use “Wilhelm” in official documents throughout his life, and the initials “E. T. W.” also appear on his gravestone.

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.

Grave of E. T. A. Hoffmann. Translated, the inscription reads: E. T. W. Hoffmann, born on January 24th, 1776, in Königsberg, died on June 25th, 1822, in Berlin, Counsillor of the Court of Justice, excellent in his office, as a poet, as a musician, as a painter, dedicated by his friends.

Hoffmann died in Berlin on June 25, 1822 at the age of 46, and is buried near the Hallesches Tor in the Jerusalem and New Churches Community Cemetery.

Work

Hoffmann wrote novels and short stories, and he composed music, including an opera, Undine (1814). 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 very sensitive time politically. Comparable messages were expressed in earlier animal stories such as Reinicke Fuchs or Aesop's Fables.

His most familiar story is “Nussknacker und Mausekönig [‘Nutcracker and Mouse King’]” (1816), which inspired Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker (1892). His story “Der Sandmann [‘The Sandman’]” (1816) similarly inspired Delibes's ballet Coppélia (1870).

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 versions of the “Nutcracker” have been published as children's books. Nutcracker performances have become a yearly feature in many cities around Christmas time.

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 Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), Nikolai Gogol (1809–1852), Charles Dickens (1812–1870), Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867), and Franz Kafka (1883–1924). Hoffmann's work illuminates the darker side of the human spirit found behind the placid surface 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 Les contes d'Hoffmann [‘The Tales of Hoffmann’] (1881), is based on the stories “Der Sandmann [‘The Sandman’]” (1816), “Rath Krespel [‘Councilor Krespel’]” (1818), and “Das verlorene Spiegelbild [‘The Lost Reflection’]” from “Die Abenteuer der Silvester-Nacht [‘The Adventures of New Year's Eve’]” (1814). Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker (1892) is based on a story by Hoffmann.

Hoffmann also influenced 19th-century musical taste directly through his music criticism. His reviews of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 (1808) 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 were first collected for modern readers by Friedrich Schnapp, ed., in E.T.A. Hoffmann: Schriften zur Musik; Nachlese (1963) and have been made available in an English translation by Andrew Crumey, ed., 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 Lebensansichten des Katers Murr [‘The Life and Opinions of Tomcat Murr’] (1819–1821). This novel deals with such issues as the aesthetic status of 'true' artistry, and the modes of self-transcendence that accompany any genuine endeavor 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.

Chronological Listing of Hoffmann's Works

1809

  • “Ritter Gluck [‘The Knight Gluck’]” (1st ed. 1809; final ed. 1819)
    First appeared with the byline “– – – – nn” in the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung, vol. 11, no. 20 (Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, February 15, 1809); subsequently included in the Fantasiestücke, vol. 1, 1st ed. (1814) and 2nd ed. (1819) (Mazza 1996: 778).

1810

  • Sinfonie pour 2 Violons, 2 Violes, Violoncelle et Contre-Violon, 2 Flûtes, petite Flûte, 2 Hautbois, 2 Clarinettes, 2 Bassons, Contrebasson, 2 Cors, 2 Trompettes, Timbales et 3 Trompes, composée et dédiée etc par Louis van Beethoven. à Leipsic, chez Breitkopf et Härtel. Oeuvre 67. No. 5. des Sinfonies. (Pr. 4 Rthlr. 12 Gr.)” (1st ed. 1810; final ed. 1819)
    Review of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 (1808) that first appeared anonymously in the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung, vol. 12, no. 40–41 (Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, July 4, 1810 and July 11, 1810); subsequently incorporated into the essay “Beethoven's Instrumental-Musik” (1813), which was then included as one of the “Kreisleriana” in the Fantasiestücke, vol. 1, 1st ed. (1814) and 2nd ed. (1819) (Schnapp 1963: 437).
  • “Johannes Kreislers, des Kapellmeisters, musikalische Leiden [‘The Musical Sufferings of Johannes Kreisler, Music Director’]” (1st ed. 1810; final ed. 1819)
    First appeared anonymously in the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung, vol. 12, no. 52 (Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, September 26, 1810); subsequently included as one of the “Kreisleriana” in the Fantasiestücke, vol. 1, 1st ed. (1814) and 2nd ed. (1819) (Mazza 1996: 778).

1811

This chronological listing is still under development. Please be patient.

1812

  • “Des Kapellmeisters, Johannes Kreislers, Dissertatiuncula über den hohen Werth der Musik [‘The Musik Director Johannes Kreisler’s Comments on the High Value of Music’]” (1st ed. 1812; final ed. 1819)
    First appeared anonymously in the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung, vol. 14 (Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, July 29, 1812); subsequently included as one of the “Kreisleriana” under the title “Gedanken über den hohen Wert der Musik” in the Fantasiestücke, vol. 1, 1st ed. (1814) and 2nd ed. (1819).

1813

  • Deux Trios pour Pianoforte, Violon et Violoncelle, comp. et déd. à Mad. la Comtesse Marie d'Erdödy – – par Louis van Beethoven. Oeuvr. 70. à Leipsic, chez Breitkopf et Härtel. No. 1. (Pr. 1 Thlr. 12 Gr.) No. 2. (2 Thlr.)” (1st ed. 1813; final ed. 1819)
    Review of Beethoven's Piano Trio No. 5 in D Major, Op. 70, No. 1 (1808) and Piano Trio No. 6 in E-flat Major, Op. 70, No. 2 (1808) that first appeared anonymously in the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung, vol. 15, no. 9 (Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, March 3, 1813); subsequently incorporated into the essay “Beethoven's Instrumental-Musik” (1813), which was then included as one of the “Kreisleriana” in the Fantasiestücke, vol. 1, 1st ed. (1814) and 2nd ed. (1819).
  • “Don Juan” (1st ed. 1813; final ed. 1819)
    First appeared anonymously in the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung, vol. 15, no. 13 (Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, March 31, 1813); subsequently included as one of the “Kreisleriana” in the Fantasiestücke, vol. 1, 1st ed. (1814) and 2nd ed. (1819).
  • “Der Dichter und der Komponist [‘The Poet and the Composer’]” (comp. 1813; 1st ed. 1813; final ed. 1819)
    Composed in September and October 1813 (Segebrecht 1963: 1045), this essay first appeared anonymously in the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung, vol. 15, no. 49 and 50 (Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, December 8, 1813–December 15, 1813). It was subsequently included in Die Serapions-Brüder, vol. 1 (1819) (Müller-Seidel 1963: [1155]).
  • “Beethovens Instrumentalmusik [‘Beethoven's Instrumental Music’]” (1st ed. 1813; final ed. 1819)
    Reworking of Hoffmann's “Sinfonie pour 2 Violons, [. . .]” (1810) and “Deux Trios pour Pianoforte, [. . .]” (1813), reviews of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 (1808) and his Piano Trio No. 5 in D Major, Op. 70, No. 1 (1808) and Piano Trio No. 6 in E-flat Major, Op. 70, No. 2 (1808), respectively, that first appeared anonymously in the Zeitung für die elegante Welt, vol. 13, no. 245–247 (December 9, 1813–December 11, 1813) and was subsequently included as one of the “Kreisleriana” in the Fantasiestücke, vol. 1, 1st ed. (1814) and 2nd ed. (1819).

1814

  • “Briefe des Baron Wallborn an den Kapellmeister Johannes Kreisler und des Kapellmeisters Johannes Kreisler an den Baron Wallborn [‘Letters from Baron Wallborn to Music Director Johannes Kreisler and from Music Director Johannes Kreisler to Baron Wallborn’]” (1st ed. 1814; final ed. 1819)
    First appeared with a foreword by la Motte Fouqué and Hoffmann in Die Musen, vol. 3 (1814), ed. Baron Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué and Wilhelm Neumann; subsequently divided into two pieces, “Brief des Barons Wallborn an den Kapellmeister Kreisler” (1814) and “Brief des Kapellmeisters Kreisler an den Baron Wallborn” (1814), and included as two of the “Kreisleriana” in the Fantasiestücke, 1st ed., vol. 4 (1815), and 2nd ed., vol. 2 (1819).
  • “Höchst zerstreute Gedanken [‘Highly Scattered Thoughts’]” (1st ed. 1814; final ed. 1819)
    First appeared with the byline “vom Kapellmeister J. Kreisler [‘by Music Director J. Kreisler’]” in the Zeitung für die elegante Welt, vol. 14, no. 2–5 (January 4, 1814–January 8, 1814); subsequently included as one of the “Kreisleriana” in the Fantasiestücke, vol. 1, 1st ed. (1814) and 2nd ed. (1819).
  • “Nachricht von einem gebildeten jungen Mann [‘News of an Educated Young Man’]” (1st ed. 1814; final ed. 1819)
    First appeared with the byline “aus den Papieren des Kapellmeisters, Johannes Kreisler [‘from the papers of the Music Director Johannes Kreisler’]” in the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung, vol. 16, no. 11 (Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, March 16, 1814); subsequently included as one of the “Kreisleriana” in the Fantasiestücke, 1st ed., vol. 4 (1815), and 2nd ed., vol. 2 (1819).
  • “Der Musikfeind [‘The Enemy of Music’]” (1st ed. 1814; final ed. 1819)
    First appeared anonymously in the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung, vol. 16, no. 22 (Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, June 1, 1814); subsequently included as one of the “Kreisleriana” in the Fantasiestücke, 1st ed., vol. 4 (1815), and 2nd ed., vol. 2 (1819).
  • “Über einen Ausspruch Sacchinis, und über den sogenannten Effect in der Musik [‘On an Remark of Sacchini's, and on So-Called Effect in Music’]” (1st ed. 1814; final ed. 1819)
    First appeared anonymously in the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung, vol. 16, no. 29 (Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, July 20, 1814); subsequently included as one of the “Kreisleriana” in the Fantasiestücke, 1st ed., vol. 4 (1815), and 2nd ed., vol. 2 (1819).
  • Fantasiestücke in Callots Manier [‘Fantasy Pieces in the Manner of Callot’ or ‘Fantasias in Callot's Style’] (1st ed., 4 vol., 1814–1815; 2nd and final ed., 2 vol., 1819)
    • Vol. 1 (1814)
      • Preface by Jean Paul Friedrich Richter (1814)
      • “Jacques Callot” (1814)
      • “Ritter Gluck” (1809)
      • “Kreisleriana Nro. 1–6” (1814)
        • 1. “Johannes Kreislers, des Kapellmeisters, musikalische Leiden” (1810)
        • 2. “Ombra adorata!” (1814)
        • 3. “Gedanken über den hohen Wert der Musik [‘Thoughts on the Great Worth of Music’]” (1812)
        • 4. “Beethovens Instrumental-Musik” (1813)
        • 5. “Höchst zerstreute Gedanken” (1814)
        • 6. “Der vollkommene Machinist [‘The Perfect Technician’]” (1814)
      • “Don Juan” (1813)
    • Vol. 2 (1814)
      • “Nachricht von den neuesten Schicksalen des Hundes Berganza [‘News of the Latest Fortunes of the Hound Berganza’]” (1814)
      • “Der Magnetiseur [‘The Animal Magnetist’ or ‘The Hypnotist’]” (1814)
    • Vol. 3 (1814)
      • Der goldene Topf: Ein Märchen aus der neuen Zeit [‘The Golden Pot: A Fairytale of Modern Times’] (1814)
    • Vol. 4 (1815)
      • “Die Abenteuer der Silvester-Nacht [‘The Adventures of New Year's Eve’]” (1815)
      • “Kreisleriana” (1815)
        • 1. “Brief des Barons Wallborn an den Kapellmeister Kreisler [‘Baron Wallborn's Letter to Music Director Kreisler’]” (1814)
        • 2. “Brief des Kapellmeisters Kreisler an den Baron Wallborn [‘Music Director Kreisler's Letter to Baron Wallborn’]” (1814)
        • 3. “Kreislers musikalisch-poetischer Klub [‘Kreisler's Musical-Poetical Club’]” (1815)
        • 4. “Nachricht von einem gebildeten jungen Mann” (1814)
        • 5. “Der Musikfeind [‘The Enemy of Music’]” (1814)
        • 6. “Über einen Ausspruch Sacchinis, und über den sogenannten Effect in der Musik” (1814)
        • 7. “Johannes Kreislers Lehrbrief [‘Johannes Kreisler's Indenture’]” (1815)

1815

  • “Die Fermate [‘The Cadenza’]” (comp. 1815; 1st ed. 1815; final ed. 1819)
    Composed in January and February 1815 (Segebrecht 1963: 1043), this piece first appeared with the byline “Erzählung von E. T. A. Hoffmann [‘Tale by E. T. A. Hoffmann’]” in the Frauentaschenbuch für das Jahr 1816, ed. la Motte Fouqué (Nürnberg [Nuremberg]: Johann Leonhard Schrag) (Segebrecht 1963: 1032). Although the collection it appeared in bears the year 1816, the date for the 1st ed. is given here as 1815 based on Segebrecht's comment that “die Taschenbücher und Almanache in der Regel bereits im Herbst vor dem Jahre, für das sie bestimmt waren, erschienen [‘the pocketbooks and almanacs generally appeared in the autumn before the year for which they were intended’]” (1963: 1034). “Die Fermate” was subsequently included in Die Serapions-Brüder, vol. 1 (1819) (Müller-Seidel 1963: [1155]).
  • Die Elixiere des Teufels [‘The Devil's Elixir’] (2 vol., 1815–1816)

1816

  • “Ahnungen aus dem Reiche der Töne [‘Premonitions from the Tonal Realm’]” (1816)
    Original version of “Johannes Kreislers Lehrbrief” (1815) that first appeared with the byline “Hff.” in the Morgenblatt für gebildete Stände, vol. 10, no. 45–46 (February 21, 1816–February 22, 1816) (Mazza 1996: 778).
  • Nachtstücke [‘Night Pieces’ or ‘Nocturnes’] (2 vol., 1816–1817)
    • Vol. 1 (1816)
      • “Der Sandmann [‘The Sandman’]” (1816)
      • “Ignaz Denner” (1816)
      • “Die Jesuiterkirche in G. [‘The Jesuit Church in G.’]” (1816)
      • “Das Sanctus [‘The Sanctus’]” (1816)
    • Vol. 2 (1817)
      • “Das öde Haus [‘The Bleak House’]” (1817)
      • “Das Majorat [‘Primogeniture’]” (1817)
      • “Das Gelübde [‘The Oath’]” (1817)
      • “Das steinerne Herz [‘The Stone Heart’]” (1817)

1817

  • “Ein Brief von Hoffmann an Herrn Baron de la Motte Fouqué [‘A Letter from Hoffmann to Baron de la Motte Fouqué’]” (comp. 1816; 1st ed. 1817; final ed. 1819)
    Completed in September 1816 (Segebrecht 1963: 1038), this piece first appeared in the Frauentaschenbuch für das Jahr 1818, ed. la Motte Fouqué (Nürnberg [Nuremberg]: Johann Leonhard Schrag) in the form of a letter containing the untitled story of “Rat Krespel” (Segebrecht 1963: 1032) in a postscript (Segebrecht 1963: 1041). Although the collection it appeared in bears the year 1818, the date for the 1st ed. is given here as 1817 based on Segebrecht's comment that “die Taschenbücher und Almanache in der Regel bereits im Herbst vor dem Jahre, für das sie bestimmt waren, erschienen [‘the pocketbooks and almanacs generally appeared in the autumn before the year for which they were intended’]” (1963: 1034). The “Rat Krespel” portion was subsequently included in Die Serapions-Brüder, vol. 1 (1819), once again without a title (Hoffmann 1819–1821/1963: 31).

1818

  • Seltsame Leiden eines Theaterdirektors [‘Strange Sorrows of a Theater Director’] (1818)

1819

  • “Bruchstück aus den Serapionsbrüdern [‘Fragment from the Serapion Brothers’]: Der Einsiedler Serapion [‘The Hermit Serapion’]” (comp. 1818; 1st ed. 1819; final ed. 1819)
    This story was probably composed in November and December 1818 (Segebrecht 1963: 1036). It first appeared anonymously in Der Freimüthige für Deutschland: Zeitblatt der Belehrung und Aufheiterung, vol. 1, no. 4, 6, and 8, ed. K. Müchler and Johann Daniel Symanski (January 5, 1819–January 11, 1819) (Segebrecht 1963: 1032) and was subsequently embedded without a title in Die Serapions-Brüder, vol. 1 (1819) (Hoffmann 1819–1821/1963: 17).
  • “Das Fräulein von Scuderi [‘Mademoiselle Scudéry’]” (1819), a short story considered his masterpiece)
  • Die Serapions-Brüder [‘The Serapion Brothers’] (1st and final ed., 4 vol., 1819–1821)
    First appeared [. . .] after which the Serapion Fraternity of writers in early 20th Century Russia was to name itself
    • Vol. 1 (1819)
      • “Vorwort [‘Foreword’]” (1st and final ed., 1819)
      • “Erster Abschnitt [‘First Section’]”
        • “Der Einsiedler Serapion [‘The Hermit Serapion’]” (1819)
        • “Rat Krespel [‘Councilor Krespel’]” (1817)
        • “Die Fermate” (1815)
        • “Der Dichter und der Komponist” (1813)
      • “Zweiter Abschnitt [‘Second Section’]”
        • “Ein Fragment aus dem Leben dreier Freunde [‘A Fragment from the Life of Three Friends’]” (1818)
        • “Der Artushof [‘The Court of Arthur’]” (1816)
        • “Die Bergwerke zu Falun [‘The Mines of Falun’]” (1819)
        • “Nußknacker und Mausekönig [‘Nutcracker and Mouse King’]” (1816)
    • Vol. 2 (1819)
      • “Dritter Abschnitt [‘Third Section’]”
        • “Der Kampf der Sänger [‘The Contest of the Singers’]” (1818)
        • “Eine Spukgeschichte [‘A Ghost Story’]” (1819)
        • “Die Automate [‘The Automaton’]” (1814)
        • “Doge und Dogaresse [‘Doge and Dogaressa’]” (1818)
      • “Vierter Abschnitt [‘Fourth Section’]”
        • “Alte und neue Kirchenmusik [‘Old and New Church Music’]” (1814)
        • “Meister Martin der Küfner und seine Gesellen [‘Master Martin the Cooper and His Journeymen’]” (1818)
        • “Das fremde Kind [‘The Mysterious Child’]” (1817)
    • Vol. 3 (1820)
      • “Fünfter Abschnitt [‘Fifth Section’]”
        • “Nachricht aus dem Leben eines bekannten Mannes [‘News from the Life of a Well-Known Man’]” (1819)
        • “Die Brautwahl [‘The Bride Selection’]” (1819)
        • “Der unheimliche Gast [‘The Uncanny Guest’]” (1819)
      • “Sechster Abschnitt [‘Sixth Section’]”
        • “Das Fräulein von Scuderi” (1819)
        • “Spielerglück [‘Gambler's Luck’]” (1819)
        • “Der Baron von B. [‘The Baron of B.’]” (1819)
    • Vol. 4 (1821)
      • “Siebenter Abschnitt [‘Seventh Section’]”
        • “Signor Formica” (1819)
        • “Zacharias Werner” (1821)
        • “Erscheinungern [‘Manifestations’]” (1817)
      • “Achter Abschnitt [‘Eighth Section’]”
        • “Der Zusammenhang der Dinge [‘The Coherence of Things’]” (1820)
        • “Vampirismus [‘Vampirism’]” (1821)
        • “Die ästhetische Teegesellschaft [‘The Aesthetic Tea Society’]” (1821)
        • “Die Königsbraut [‘The King's Bride’]” (1821)
  • Lebensansichten des Katers Murr nebst fragmentarischer Biographie des Kapellmeisters Johannes Kreisler in zufälligen Makulaturblättern [‘The Life and Opinions of Tomcat Murr with a Fragmentary Biography of the Music Director Johannes Kreisler in Accidentally Intermingled Pages’] (2 vol., 1819–1821, fragment)
  • Klein Zaches genannt Zinnober [‘Little Zaches, Called Cinnobar’] (1819)

1820

  • “Die Irrungen: Fragment aus dem Leben eines Fantasten [‘The Errors: Fragment from the Life of a Fantast’]” (1820)

1821

  • “Die Geheimnisse: Fortsetzung des Fragments aus dem Leben eines Fantasten, ‘Die Irrungen’ [‘The Secrets: Continuation of the Fragment from the Life of a Fantast, “The Errors”’]” (1821)

1822

This chronological listing is still under development. Please be patient.

In Fiction

Robertson Davies referenced Hoffmann in his novel The Lyre of Orpheus (1988).

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

This article is in the process of being upgraded with a translation of the corresponding German-language article (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:

  • Braun, Peter (2004). E. T. A. Hoffmann: Dichter, Zeichner, Musiker: Biographie. D/Düsseldorf: Artemis und Winkler. ISBN 3-538-07175-6.
  • Deterding, Klaus (1991). Die Poetik der inneren und äußeren Welt bei E. T. A. Hoffmann: Zur Konstitution des Poetischen in den Werken und Selbstzeugnissen. Ph.D. dissertation, Freie Universität Berlin. Berliner Beiträge zur neueren deutschen Literaturgeschichte, 15. D/Frankfurt (Main): Lang. ISBN 3-631-44062-6.
  • ———— (1999). Magie des poetischen Raums. [Vol. 1? of] E.T.A. Hoffmanns Dichtung und Weltbild. Beiträge zur neueren Literaturgeschichte, 3rd ser., no. 152. D/Heidelberg: Winter. ISBN 3-8253-0541-4.
  • ———— (20031). Das allerwunderbarste Märchen. Vol. 3 of E.T.A. Hoffmanns Dichtung und Weltbild. D/Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann. ISBN 3-8260-2389-7.
  • ———— (20032). Hoffmanns poetischer Kosmos. Vol. 4 of E.T.A. Hoffmanns Dichtung und Weltbild D/Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann. ISBN 3-8260-2615-2.
  • Ettelt, Wilhelm (1981). E. T. A. Hoffmann: Der Künstler und Mensch. D/Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann. ISBN 3-88479-031-5.
  • Feldges, Brigitte, & Ulrich Stadler (1986), ed. E. T. A. Hoffmann: Epoche – Werk – Wirkung. D/München: Beck. ISBN 3-406-31241-1.
  • Fricke, Ronald (2000). Hoffmanns letzte Erzählung: Roman. D/Berlin: Rütten und Loening. ISBN 3-352-00561-3.
  • Götting, Ronald (1992). E. T. A. Hoffmann und Italien. Europäische Hochschulschriften, ser. 1, Deutsche Sprache und Literatur, no. 1347. D/Frankfurt (Main): Lang. ISBN 3-631-45371-X.
  • Gröble, Susanne (2000). E. T. A. Hoffmann. Universal-Bibliothek, no. 15222. D/Stuttgart: Reclam. ISBN 3-15-015222-4.
  • Günzel, Klaus (1976). E. T. A. Hoffmann: Leben und Werk in Briefen, Selbstzeugnissen und Zeitdokumenten. D/Berlin: Bibliographie.
  • Harnischfeger, Johannes (1988). Die Hieroglyphen der inneren Welt: Romantikkritik bei E. T. A. Hoffmann. D/Opladen: Westdeutscher Verlag. ISBN 3-531-12019-0.
  • Hoffmann, Alfred (1990). E. T. A. Hoffmann: Leben und Arbeit eines preußischen Richters. D/Baden-Baden: Nomos-Verlag. ISBN 3-7890-2125-3.
  • Jürgens, Christian (2003). Das Theater der Bilder: Ästhetische Modelle und literarische Konzepte in den Texten E. T. A. Hoffmanns. D/Heidelberg: Manutius-Verlag. ISBN 3-934877-29-X.
  • Kaiser, Gerhard R. (1988). E. T. A. Hoffmann. Sammlung Metzler, no. 243, Realien zur Literatur. D/Stuttgart: Metzler. ISBN 3-476-10243-2.
  • Keil, Werner (1986). E. T. A. Hoffmann als Komponist: Studien zur Kompositionstechnik an ausgewählten Werken. Neue musikgeschichtliche Forschungen, no. 14. D/Wiesbaden: Breitkopf und Härtel. ISBN 3-7651-0229-6.
  • Klein, Ute (2000). Die produktive Rezeption E. T. A. Hoffmanns in Frankreich. Kölner Studien zur Literaturwissenschaft, no. 12. D/Frankfurt (Main): Lang. ISBN 3-631-36535-7.
  • Kleßmann, Eckart (1995). E. T. A. Hoffmann oder die Tiefe zwischen Stern und Erde: Eine Biographie. Insel-Taschenbuch, no. 1732. D/Frankfurt (Main): Insel-Verlag. ISBN 3-458-33432-7.
  • Kohlhof, Sigrid (1988). Franz Fühmann und E. T. A. Hoffmann: Romantikrezeption und Kulturkritik in der DDR. Europäische Hochschulschriften, ser. 1, Deutsche Sprache und Literatur, no. 1044. D/Frankfurt (Main): Lang. ISBN 3-8204-0286-1.
  • Kremer, Detlef (1993). Romantische Metamorphosen: E. T. A. Hoffmanns Erzählungen. d/Stuttgart: Metzler. ISBN 3-476-00906-8.
  • ———— (1998). E. T. A. Hoffmann zur Einführung. Zur Einführung, no. 166. D/Hamburg: Junius. ISBN 3-88506-966-0.
  • Lewandowski, Rainer (1995). E. T. A. Hoffmann und Bamberg: Fiktion und Realität: Über eine Beziehung zwischen Leben und Literatur. D/Bamberg: Fränkischer Tag. ISBN 3-928648-20-9.
  • Mangold, Hartmut (1989). Gerechtigkeit durch Poesie: Rechtliche Konfliktsituationen und ihre literarische Gestaltung bei E.T.A. Hoffmann. D/Wiesbaden: Deutscher Universal-Verlag. ISBN 3-8244-4030-X.
  • Meier, Rolf (1994). Dialog zwischen Jurisprudenz und Literatur: Richterliche Unabhängigkeit und Rechtsabbildung in E.T.A. Hoffmanns “Das Fräulein von Scuderi”. D/Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlags-Gesellschaft. ISBN 3-7890-3428-2.
  • Ménardeau, Gabrielle “Wittkop-” (1966). E. T. A. Hoffmann: Mit Selbstzeugnissen und Bilddokumenten. 12th printing. Rowohlts Monografien, no. 113. D/Reinbek (Hamburg): Rowohlt, 1992. ISBN 3-499-50113-9.
  • Milovanovic, Marko (2005). “‘Die Muse entsteigt einem Fass’: Was E.T.A. H. tatsächlich in Berliner Kneipen trieb”. Pg. 17ff. Kritische Ausgabe, vol. 1. ISSN 1617-1357.
  • Orosz, Magdolna (2001). Identität, Differenz, Ambivalenz: Erzählstrukturen und Erzählstrategien bei E.T.A. Hoffmann. Budapester Studien zur LIteraturwissenschaft, no. 1. D/Frankfurt (Main): Lang. ISBN 3-631-38248-0.
  • Ringel, Stefan (1997). Realität und Einbildungskraft im Werk E. T. A. Hoffmanns. D/Köln [‘Cologne’]: Böhlau. ISBN 3-412-04697-3.
  • Safranski, Rüdiger (2000). E. T. A. Hoffmann: Das Leben eines skeptischen Phantasten. Fischer-Taschenbücher, no. 14301. D/Frankfurt (Main): Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag. ISBN 3-596-14301-2.
  • Schaukal, Richard von (1923). E. T. A. Hoffmann: Sein Werk aus seinem Leben. CH/Zürich, D/Leipzig, and A/Wien: Amalthea-Verlag.
  • Schmidt, Dirk (1996). Der Einfluß E.T.A. Hoffmanns auf das Schaffen Edgar Allan Poes. Edition Wissenschaft, Reihe vergleichende Literaturwissenschaft, no. 2. D/Marburg: Tectum-Verlag. 1996. ISBN 3-89608-592-1.
  • Schmidt, Olaf (2003). “Callots fantastisch karikierte Blätter”: Intermediale Inszenierungen und romantische Kunsttheorie im Werk E. T. A. Hoffmanns. Philologische Studien und Quellen, no. 181. D/Berlin: Schmidt. ISBN 3-503-06182-7.
  • Segebrecht, Wulf (1996). Heterogenität und Integration: Studien zu Leben, Werk und Wirkung E. T. A. Hoffmanns. Helicon, no. 20. D/Frankfurt (Main): Lang. ISBN 3-631-47202-1.
  • Steinecke, Hartmut (1997). E. T. A. Hoffmann. Universal-Bibliothek, no. 17605. D/Stuttgart: Reclam. ISBN 3-15-017605-0.
  • ———— (2004). Die Kunst der Fantasie: E.T.A. Hoffmanns Leben und Werk. D/Frankfurt (Main): Insel-Verlag. ISBN 3-458-17202-5.
  • Triebel, Odila (2003). Staatsgespenster: Fiktionen des Politischen bei E. T. A. Hoffmann. Literatur und Leben, new ser., no. 60. D/Köln [‘Cologne’]: Böhlau. ISBN 3-412-07802-6.
  • Weinholz, Gerhard (1991). E. T. A. Hoffmann: Dichter, Psychologe, Jurist. Literaturwissenschaft in der Blauen Eule, no. 9. D/Essen: Verlag Die Blaue Eule. ISBN 3-89206-431-8.
  • Woodgate, Kenneth B. (1999). Das Phantastische bei E. T. A. Hoffmann. Helicon, no. 25. D/Frankfurt (Main): Lang. ISBN 3-631-34453-8.

In addition, the following references have been consulted in the preparation of the chronological listing of Hoffmann's works:

  • Hoffmann, Ernst Theodor Wilhelm (1819–1821/1963). Die Serapions-Brüder: Gesammelte Erzählungen und Märchen. Müller-Seidel 1963: [5]–[995].
  • Mazza, Ethel Mattala de (1996). “Anmerkungen”. Neumann 1996: 777–877.
  • Müller-Seidel, Walter (1963), ed. E. T. A. Hoffmann: Die Serapions-Brüder. Based on the text of the 1st ed. (1819–1821), checked against the ed. from Carl Georg von Maassen and Georg Ellinger. D/München: Winkler-Verlag.
  • Neumann, Gerhard (1996), ed. E.T.A. Hoffmann: Fantasie- und Nachtstücke. 6th ed. Winkler Weltliteratur: Dünndruck-Ausgabe. D/Düsseldorf and CH/Zürich: Artemis & Winkler. ©1996 by Artemis & Winkler Verlag. ISBN 3-538-05373-1 (cloth); ISBN 3-583-05873-9 (leather).
  • Schnapp, Friedrich (1963), ed. E.T.A. Hoffmann: Schriften zur Musik; Nachlese. After the text of the 1st ed. and mss. D/München: Winkler-Verlag. ©1963 by Winkler-Verlag.
  • Segebrecht, Wulf (1963). “Anmerkungen [‘Notes’]”. Müller-Seidel 1963: 1031–1131.

External links

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