Henry Von Ofterdingen: A Novel [Paperback]

Novalis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1990

A strange, ingenious novel, the most representative work of early German Romanticism! This extraordinary fusion of novel, fairy tale, and poem, published posthumously in 1802, is the most representative work of early German Romanticism. It reflects, in part, events in the life of its author, who is best known for his Hymns to the Night. Young Henry, a medieval poet who seeks the mysterious Blue Flower with the lovely face of the yet unknown Mathilda, sets out on a journey that is interspersed with beautiful tales and exquisite songs. Henry's "education," as he catches first glimpses of the world, is of special interest to students of philosophy as well as literature, for ingeniously involved in literary form is the crux of Fichte's mysticism. Novalis, like Rouseeau, makes an interesting contribution to the "supreme realism" that transcends the ordinary. Henry von Ofterdingen is an important landmark in the history of literature and the most distinguished work of its brilliant and tragic author.

Titles of related interest from Waveland Press: Goethe, Gotz von Berlichingen: A Play (ISBN 9780881335415); Hauptmann, Three Plays [The Weavers, Hannele, and The Beaver Coat] (ISBN 9780881335408); and Plenzdorf, The New Sufferings of Young W. (ISBN 9780881338911).

Product Details

• Paperback: 169 pages
• Publisher: Waveland Pr Inc (August 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881335746
• ISBN-13: 978-0881335743
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #567,388 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!, November 27, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Henry Von Ofterdingen: A Novel (Paperback)

This is one of my favorite Romantic novels. It is filled with amazing imagery, fairy tales and myths mutated into new forms, and a powerful dialectic. Sadly, the novel was never finished by Novalis, but it is definitely worth the read anyway. Much of this book is based on Novalis' (Friedrich von Hardenberg) own life. If you would like to read another great novel that deals with Novalis' life, look at Penelope Fitzgerald's The Blue Flower.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good English Translation is Rare, August 2, 2007

By 

Jeffrey W. Smith (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Henry Von Ofterdingen: A Novel (Paperback)

Concerning the actual product, this copy is a good buy. I found the paperback's cover to be quite durable, which means that it may hold itself together over the years to come. Furthermore, not only is it one of the rare English translations that may be found on Amazon, but it is a truly fine translation as a whole. The writings of Novalis, along with other key German romantics, are very lucid and the translator has kept this style quite well. Concerning the story itself, it is complex; and despite the book's short length, the reader may find some difficulty if he or she tries rush through it. However, if the reader should give this text some time, he or she may discover why Novalis was such a key figure within the German romantic movement and how this text, in particular, may reveal a new and radical perception of thought.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fragment Of Genius, January 23, 2009

By 

Carnamagos "Carnamagos" (Northeastern U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Henry Von Ofterdingen: A Novel (Paperback)

Novalis's posthumously published novel is remarkable not only as an early work of German Romanticism, but as one of the first experimental novels. Novalis boldly fuses conventional narrative, the literary fairy tale, and verse into a remarkable blend that is suffused throughout with the spirit of poetry, a spirit that it is the novel's mission to exalt. It is deeply saddening that the author did not live to finish this work.

*Henry von Ofterdingen* is a *Bildungsroman*; that is, a novel detailing the education and development of a particular individual. In this case, that person is a medieval poet. The reader follows Henry on an overland journey that slowly awakens in him his profound poetic gifts. Rather than merely describing Henry's development, Novalis brilliantly allows to reader to share with him and vicariously experience the events and people that slowly stir Henry's poetic nature. Henry's meetings with individuals of different social strata, such as merchants and miners, poets and nobility, all gradually teach him the lesson of the ubiquity of poetry, for those who are sensitive enough to perceive it.

As to style, Novalis tells his tale in poetic prose that lifts the novel itself into the realms of poetry, and which makes it a perfect embodiment of what it describes. Of course, those who expect a modern novel, or those to whom Romanticism brings blushes of embarrassment or annoyance, should avoid this book, as should those with short attention spans and an aversion to philosophy, or to leisurely, poetic prose.

Above all, *Henry von Ofterdingen* unfolds like the dream of the Blue Flower that inspires its hero. The novel is oneiric as few others are, in my experience. Just as one seldom appreciates a dream when one submits it to harsh rational interrogation, readers will not appreciate this work unless they submit to it as one yields to a dream. Little wonder the Surrealists and fellow travelers, such as Julien Gracq, deeply appreciated this work. Most highly recommended.

Brief aside: Frustrated college students who are forced to read books for their classes really should have the maturity to refrain from taking out their anger in the Amazon reviews section. Complain to your professors, instead, kids.