The Golden Pot and Other Tales: A New Translation by Ritchie Robertson (Oxford World's Classics) [Paperback]

E. T. A. Hoffmann (Author), Ritchie Robertson (Translator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0192837230 | ISBN-13: 978-0192837233 | Publication Date: September 7, 2000

Hoffmann, among the greatest and most popular of the German Romantics, is renowned for his humorous and sometimes horrifying tales of supernatural beings. This selection, while stressing the variety of his work, focuses on those stories in which the real and the supernatural are brought into contact and conflict. This new translation includes The Golden Pot, The Sandman, Princess Brambilla, Master Flea, and My Cousin's Corner Window.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The volume is very welcome as a prime choice for courses on nineteenth century fiction of on literature of the fantastic imagination."--Gerald Gillespie, Stanford University

"Excellent selection with extremely valuable and useful Introduction, Notes, and Chronology of Hoffmann's life....Reads very well, modern and smooth. Particularly gratified by attention Robertson gives to seventeenth- century artist Jacques Callot and influence he exerted on Hoffmann. All in all, a highly commendable piece of work."--David B. Dickens, Washington and Lee University

"The choice of tales, the introduction, the bibliography and the notes make this an extremely valuable text for any general literature course. Thanks to Oxford and the translator for finally making Hoffmann accessible through his best tales."--E.M. Chich, Williams College

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (September 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192837230
• ISBN-13: 978-0192837233
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,502,406 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful, transcendent, and incredible book, January 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Golden Pot and Other Tales (Words Classsics) (Paperback)

E.T.A. Hoffmann is, in my opinion, one of the best and, sadly, unknown authors ever. I came across his name in a study of German Romanticism and even now whenever I want to escape this mundane reality I turn to his tales. Although known for the Nutcracker, his other tales are far more beautiful, moving and fantastic. The Golden Pot is perhaps the best story I have ever read. For anyone wishing so submerge him/herself in another world for a little while, a world of magic, beauty and horror, this is the best book one could choose. Each of his tales is unique, fantastic and exquisite.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An author worth reading., April 1, 2003

By 

Siena Williams (DAYTON, OHIO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Golden Pot and Other Tales: A New Translation by Ritchie Robertson (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

I would like to take a moment to correct a very common misconception about E.T.A. Hoffmann...in all fairness to him, Hoffmann should not be known for writing The Nutcracker on which the ballet is based. The ballet is based on the version of the story written by Alexandre Dumas NOT Hoffmann! Hoffmann's version (the original, and the version Tchaikovsky thought he was writing the music for, until Petipa, the choreographer, decided it was too dark and strange to be made into a ballet and went with the sweet and fluffy Dumas version), is far superior and definiately worth reading even though it is one of his lighter tales. It's more fantasically strange and wonderful than dark and scary. It's also not as thought-provoking as some of his other works. If you're planning to read it I recommend the copy with Maurice Sendak's illustrations, as they set off the tone and mood of the story perfectly.

In regards to this particular book (The Golden Pot and others), I have found that everything Herr Hoffmann wrote is worth reading...it's just unfortunate that there aren't more collections of his works available. I've had a devil of a time trying to find a good hardbound copy myself!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The Golden Pot" is one of the great masterpieces of Western literature; read it, November 13, 2008

By 

__ "Milton II, King of the Most Laudable Free... (Athens, Greece) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Golden Pot and Other Tales: A New Translation by Ritchie Robertson (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

In 1814, E.T.A. Hoffmann wrote one of the best novellas I have had the good fortune to read. Regrettably, I neither speak nor understand German, and I only read "The Golden Pot" in translation, but it still managed to enchant me.

It is a fairytale -- subtitled "A Fairytale for the Modern Times" -- and attempting to adequately summarize the story would be pointless, which its true for every masterpiece. At a very basic level, the story pits the world of reality against the world of imagination/magic/wonder/poetry. It would be more accurate to say that the latter is active within the former, unbeknownst to the well-to-do inhabitants of early 19th century Dresden. Reading the "Golden Pot" will make you feel it is a great pity that you are not a citizen of Dresden at the beginning of the 19th century. To us, early 19th century Dresden is a faraway magical place of its own right, and so the "modern fairytale" aspect is rather lost to the modern reader. It would have been a much more fulfilling read in 1814, as one would recognize the aspects of the mundane world that Hoffmann describes, and would be thus able to derive greater pleasure from the descriptions of the fantastical that he masterfully weaves hidden in plain sight within it. Hoffmann has chosen an ingenious approach to the relationship between the reader and the writer, best showcased in the seventh vigil (chapter).

This magical novella is required reading by everyone, alongside the works of Shakespeare and Goethe (yes, Western Canon, I know). So what are you waiting for?