E. T. A. Hoffmann
E.T.A. Hoffmann: The Romantic Visionary
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Full Name and Common Aliases
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Erich Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann, commonly known as E.T.A. Hoffmann (1776-1822), was a German author of fantasy novels, poetry, and criticism. His name is often associated with the Romantic movement in literature.
Birth and Death Dates
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Born on January 24, 1776, in Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia), Hoffmann passed away on June 25, 1822, in Berlin, Germany.
Nationality and Profession(s)
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Hoffmann was a German writer, composer, and jurist. His literary career spanned various genres, including poetry, fiction, and drama.
Early Life and Background
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As the youngest son of a middle-class family, Hoffmann's childhood was marked by a mix of discipline and indulgence. He showed early promise in music and began taking piano lessons at age six. However, his father's financial struggles forced him to abandon his musical ambitions. In 1796, Hoffmann enrolled in the University of Königsberg to study law.
Major Accomplishments
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Hoffmann's writing career flourished after he moved to Berlin in 1808. He became a prominent figure in German literature, publishing numerous works that showcased his unique blend of imagination and philosophical insight. Some notable accomplishments include:
Fantasy novels: Hoffmann wrote several influential fantasy novels, such as _The Golden Pot_ (1814) and _The Sand-Man_ (1816). These works explored themes of love, madness, and the supernatural.
Poetry collections: His poetry collections, like _Die Serapions-Brüder_ (1819), demonstrated his mastery of language and form.
Notable Works or Actions
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Hoffmann's writing often blurred the lines between reality and fantasy. Some notable works include:
The Sand-Man: This short story explores the theme of dreams and madness, featuring a character who can induce sleep in others by touching their eyes.
Klein Zaches, Genannt Zinnober: A satirical novella that critiques the social conventions of 19th-century Germany.
Impact and Legacy
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Hoffmann's impact on literature extends beyond his own works. His unique blend of fantasy and philosophical insight influenced later authors like Edgar Allan Poe and Franz Kafka. The Romantic movement, which he was a key figure in, paved the way for modernist and surrealist writers.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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E.T.A. Hoffmann's legacy can be attributed to his innovative writing style, which merged elements of fantasy, philosophy, and social commentary. His exploration of the human psyche, love, and madness continues to captivate readers today.
Hoffmann's influence on literature is undeniable, with many authors drawing inspiration from his works. His contributions to the Romantic movement helped shape the course of literary history. As a result, he remains widely quoted and remembered as one of the most innovative writers of his time.
Quotes by E. T. A. Hoffmann
It is only in the morning that one should marry, read unfavourable reviews, make one’s will, beat one’s servants, and so forth.
Mozart’s music is the mysterious language of a distant spiritual kingdom, whose marvelous accents echo in our inner being and arouse a higher, intensive life.
Let me ask you outright, gentle reader, if there have not been hours, indeed whole days and weeks of your life, during which all your usual activities were painfully repugnant, and everything you believed in and valued seemed foolish and worthless?
The human spirit is itself the most wonderful fairy tale that can possibly be. What a magnificent world lies enclosed within our bosoms! No solar orbit hems it in, the inexhaustible wealth of the total visible creation is outweighed by its riches!
There are men from whom nature or some peculiar destiny has removed the cover beneath which we hide our own madness. They are likethin-skinned insects whose visible play of muscles seem to make them deformed, though in fact, everything soon turns to its normal shape again.
Why should not a writer be permitted to make use of the levers of fear, terror and horror because some feeble soul here and there finds it more than it can bear? Shall there be no strong meat at table because there happen to be some guests there whose stomachs are weak, or who have spoiled their own digestions?
The foot of the heavenly ladder, which we have got to mount in order to reach the higher regions, has to be fixed firmly in every-day life, so that everybody may be able to climb up it along with us. When people then find that they have got climbed up higher and higher into a marvelous, magical world, they will feel that that realm, too, belongs to their ordinary, every-day life, and is, merely, the wonderful and most glorious part thereof.
Mozart's music is the mysterious language of a distant spiritual kingdom, whose marvelous accents echo in our inner being and arouse a higher, intensive life.