E. T. A. Hoffmann
Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann (1776-1822) was a German writer, composer, and painter, influential in the Romantic movement. Known for his supernatural and sinister tales, Hoffmann's works explored tragic and grotesque aspects of human nature. His stories influenced 19th-century literature and inspired Jacques Offenbach's opera "The Tales of Hoffmann". Hoffmann also authored "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King", which became the basis for Tchaikovsky’s ballet "The Nutcracker". His Phantasiestücke in Callots Manier solidified his reputation as a key literary figure[1†][2†].
Early Years and Education
Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann was born on January 24, 1776, in Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia), to Christoph Ludwig Hoffmann and Lovisa Albertina Doerffer[3†]. He was the youngest of three siblings, with the middle child passing away in infancy[3†]. After his parents’ separation, Hoffmann was raised by his mother, two maternal aunts, and an uncle[3†].
Hoffmann demonstrated great potential as a piano player from an early age[3†]. He was taught classics and drawing, and he started writing during this period[3†]. Around 1787, he met Theodor Gottlieb von Hippel the Younger, who went on to become his lifelong friend[3†].
In 1792, the sixteen-year-old Hoffmann began studying law at the Albertus University in Königsberg, following a family tradition[3†][4†]. His most important teacher was the Kant student Daniel Christoph Reidenitz[3†][4†]. He graduated when he was only 16 years old[3†][5†] and finished his studies in Glogau and Berlin[3†][5†].
In 1796, Hoffmann began working as a clerk for his uncle Johann Ludwig Doerffer in Glogau (Głogów), Prussian Silesia[3†]. He successfully gave several examinations and travelled to Dresden, where he was exposed to the works of artists like Correggio and Raphael[3†].
Career Development and Achievements
Hoffmann’s career began in the field of law. He became a Prussian law officer in the Polish provinces in 1800[6†]. He served in this capacity until the defeat of Prussia by Napoleon in 1806[6†]. After this, he turned to his chief interest, music[6†][1†].
Hoffmann held several positions as a conductor, critic, and theatrical musical director in Bamberg and Dresden until 1814[6†][1†][6†]. Around 1813, he changed his third baptismal name, Wilhelm, to Amadeus in homage to the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart[6†][1†].
He composed the ballet Arlequin in 1811 and the opera Undine, which was performed in 1816[6†][1†]. Hoffmann also wrote stories in Phantasiestücke in Callots Manier, a four-volume work published between 1814 and 1815[6†][1†]. These stories established his reputation as a writer[6†][1†].
In 1814, Hoffmann was appointed to the court of appeal in Berlin, becoming a councillor in 1816[6†][1†]. Despite his success as a writer, Hoffmann continued to support himself as a legal official in Berlin[6†][1†].
Hoffmann’s later story collections, Nachtstücke (1817) and Die Serapionsbrüder (1819-21), were popular in England, the United States, and France[6†][1†]. His works continued to be published into the second half of the 20th century, attesting to their enduring popularity[6†][1†].
First Publication of His Main Works
E. T. A. Hoffmann was a prolific writer, and his works have had a significant impact on literature and other forms of art. Here are some of his main works:
- Fantasy Pieces in Callot’s Manner (Phantasiestücke in Callots Manier, 1814-1815): This is the collection of stories that established Hoffmann’s reputation as a writer[2†][1†]. The stories are known for their fantastical and grotesque elements[2†].
- The Devil’s Elixir (Die Elixiere des Teufels, 1815-1816): This novel is one of Hoffmann’s major works[2†][1†]. It is a Gothic horror story that explores themes of duality and the supernatural[2†][1†].
- he Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr (Lebens-Ansichten des Katers Murr, 1820-1822): This novel is a satirical critique of various aspects of German society and culture[2†][1†]. It is written from the perspective of a cat named Murr[2†][1†].
- The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (Nussknacker und Mausekönig, 1816): This novella is perhaps Hoffmann’s most famous work, as it served as the basis for Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker[2†][6†][7†].
- Strange Stories (Nachtstücke, 1817): This collection of stories is known for its exploration of the uncanny and the supernatural[2†][1†].
- The Serapion Brethren (Die Serapionsbrüder, 1819-1821): This collection of stories was popular in England, the United States, and France[2†][1†].
Hoffmann’s works are characterized by their exploration of the fantastical, the grotesque, and the uncanny[2†][1†]. They have had a significant influence on 19th-century literature and continue to be widely read and studied today[2†][1†].
Analysis and Evaluation
E. T. A. Hoffmann’s work is noted for its astonishing depiction of pathological psychological states, for the use of description emulating the detail of dreams, for the introduction of grotesque, supernatural, and bizarre elements into his narratives, for its sometimes macabre humor, and for the portrayal of characters torn between two conflicting desires[8†].
Hoffmann’s fiction introduced many modern themes, including parapsychology and abnormal psychology, alienation of humans from life and society, the subconscious, the use of robots and automatons, and the fantastic and the grotesque[8†][9†]. He has also been credited with writing the first detective story in 1820, “Das Fräulein von Scudéri” (“Mademoiselle de Scudéry”)[8†][9†].
His work certainly inspired writers such as Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allan Poe in the United States, Alexandre Dumas, père, Honoré de Balzac, and Victor Hugo in France, and Alexander Pushkin, Nikolai Gogol, and Fyodor Dostoevski in Russia[8†][9†]. His tales have also inspired many composers, perhaps most notably Jacques Offenbach (The Tales of Hoffmann) and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (The Nutcracker and The Queen of Spades)[8†][9†].
Far from being all of one type, the greatness of Hoffmann’s works resides precisely in his awareness of point of view, in his expert modulation of perspective and narrative texture, thus creating a great number of styles and genres, depending on the narrator stance within the realism-Romanticism spectrum[8†][10†].
Personal Life
E.T.A. Hoffmann was known to be a loner. There is only one allusion to his personal life – a first love affair with a married woman in 1796. Hoffmann grew up without a father in a bourgeois household, surrounded by uncles, aunts, and grandparents, dreaming of an artist’s existence[11†]. He was raised by his uncle and grandmother[12†]. Hoffmann found refuge from an odd life by writing bizarre tales which have been compared to those of Franz Kafka[12†]. He had a daughter named Cacilie Hoffman, born in 1805[12†].
Hoffmann legally changed his middle name from Wilhelm to Amadeus in 1813, as a tribute to the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart[12†]. He was plagued by artistic escape fantasies from an early age[11†].
Conclusion and Legacy
E.T.A. Hoffmann was a significant figure in the background of musical history. His stories highly influenced 19th-century literature, and he is one of the major authors of the Romantic movement[2†]. His works form the basis of Jacques Offenbach’s opera "The Tales of Hoffmann", in which Hoffmann appears (heavily fictionalized) as the hero[2†]. He is also the author of the novella "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King", on which Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ballet "The Nutcracker" is based[2†]. The ballet Coppélia is based on two other stories that Hoffmann wrote, while Schumann’s Kreisleriana is based on Hoffmann’s character Johannes Kreisler[2†].
Hoffmann consistently annexed an intellectual framework, which hinged for him on the centrality of the faculty of imagination, to his more practical concerns and applications of the creative process and its reception[13†]. His works are interpreted as evidence of the author’s desire to highlight a void of artistic sensibility in the bourgeois world and the resulting lack of appreciation for and alienation of the artist[14†].
The continued publication of Hoffmann’s stories into the second half of the 20th century attests to their popularity[1†]. His legacy continues to inspire and influence the fields of literature, music, and art[1†][2†].
Key Information
- Also Known As: Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann[1†][2†]
- Born: January 24, 1776, in Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia)[1†][2†]
- Died: June 25, 1822, in Berlin, Germany[1†][2†]
- Nationality: German[1†][2†]
- Occupation: Jurist, author, composer, music critic, artist[1†][2†][15†][7†]
- Notable Works: “Die Serapionsbrüder”, “Phantasiestücke in Callots Manier”, “Die Elixiere des Teufels”, "Lebens-Ansichten des Katers Murr nebst fragmentarischer Biographie des Kapellmeisters Johannes Kreisler"[1†][2†]
- Notable Achievements: His stories form the basis of Jacques Offenbach’s opera "The Tales of Hoffmann", in which Hoffmann appears (heavily fictionalized) as the hero. He is also the author of the novella "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King", on which Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ballet "The Nutcracker" is based[1†][2†].
References and Citations:
- Britannica - E.T.A. Hoffmann: German writer, composer, and painter [website] - link
- Wikipedia (English) - E. T. A. Hoffmann [website] - link
- The Famous People - E. T. A. Hoffmann Biography [website] - link
- SciHi Blog - The Fantastic Stories of E. T. A. Hoffmann [website] - link
- Simple Wikipedia (English) - Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann [website] - link
- GradeSaver - E.T.A. Hoffman Biography [website] - link
- Goodreads - Author: E.T.A. Hoffmann (Author of Nutcracker) [website] - link
- eNotes - E. T. A. Hoffmann World Literature Analysis [website] - link
- eNotes - E. T. A. Hoffmann Analysis [website] - link
- eNotes - E. T. A. Hoffmann Critical Essays [website] - link
- Bachtrack - Master of the fantastical: the life and work of ETA Hoffmann [website] - link
- IMDb - E.T.A. Hoffmann - Biography [website] - link
- Cambridge University Press - E. T. A. Hoffmann and the Serapiontic Principle - Chapter: Conclusion [website] - link
- JSTOR - JSTOR: Access Check [website] - link
- Open Library - E. T. A. Hoffmann [website] - link
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0; additional terms may apply.
Ondertexts® is a registered trademark of Ondertexts Foundation, a non-profit organization.