German Romantic Stories: Eichendorff, Brentano, Chamisso, and others

by Frank Glessner Ryder, Gordon Birrell (Introduction)

Anecdotes from the Last Prussian War, The Beggarwoman of Locarono, and The Story of a Remarkable Single Combat by Heinrich von Kleist; An Unexpected Reunion and Kannitverstan by Johann Peter Hebel; Freidrich de la Motte Fouque's Undine; Adelbert von Chamisso's The Strange Story of Peter Schlemihl; Clemens Brentano's The Story of Good Caspar and Fair Annie; and Joseph von Eichendorff's Memoirs of a Good-for-Nothing.

Genres: German Literature

272 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1988

Reviews

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read of this collection only Undine and Peter Schlemihl so far, so I will post together here my reviews of both of them:

Undine is a beautiful and extremely affecting fairy tale. It is of that peculiar German Romantic style, and I could see the similarity to the tales of E.T.A. Hoffman (who later composed an opera of the story). Undine, however, is strong where some other tales of this historical genre lack: the characters are sympathetic and human, and there is only one incident of forehead-smack-inducing outdated cultural institutions (Bertalda's reaction when she discovers who her parents are). Thus its tragedy, already as poignant as any romance of the age, is more affecting and less cluttered by annoying instances, for example, of disapproval of two women living with Huldbrand, or references to the proprieties of economic inequality.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in the genre of fantastic/Romantic literature in the vein of George MacDonald or E.T.A. Hoffman.

Peter Schlemihl is even less concrete: much more allegorical, and more filtered through the eyes of its narrator than the more objective tragedy of Undine. In this it is much more reminiscent of Hoffman (who indeed quotes the story almost exactly in one of his own stories). There is much debate about what exactly the "message" of Peter Schlemihl is; or rather, what the various objects in the story symbolize. The story both demands and defies a deeper interpretation, which leaves the reader feeling as though it was very meaningful without destroying its mystery or the ability of the story to stand on its own as a 'real' story, not a moralizing fable.

It is not quite as affecting as Undine, since the women in the story are all idealized arch-typical Romantic lovers, and the ending is not tragic. However, it is worth reading for anyone interested in the genre.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first time I read Undine was in this collection. These stories are absolute treasures. So captivating.