„mein traum trat ins leben“ träume und träumer im frühen 19. jahrhundert am beispiel von e.t.a. hoffmanns die elixiere des teufels (1815)

In spite of its broad popularity with readers and its criss-crossing paths throughout European reception, German scholars have hardly considered E.T.A. Hoffmann's The Devil's Elixir an appropriate source of research for decades. Whereas early inquiries had laid emphasis on the level of family relationship, more recent attempts of research focused on the aspects of arts and individuality, peeking at the conclusion that Hoffmann had revealed the development of a distorted ego in his main protagonist, the monk Medardus. The fact that 'individuality' is mainly reflected in gloomy, fascinating oneiric sequences, has been neglected so far. Therefore, the article focuses on two objectives: first, to provide a detailed insight into the empirical oneiric research and its intersections with medicine and anthropology at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. The second aspect is designed as an exemplary close reading of four oneiric sequences of the novel.

E. T.A. Hoffmann ,

Madardus ,

Romantik ,

Träume ,

Schauerroman ,