Der Sandmann. Erzählung

Von E. T. A. Hoffmann

Als Nathanael zehn Jahre alt ist, erhält sein Vater Besuch vom Sandmann – einem Mann, der den Kindern Sand in die Augen wirft, sodass sie ihnen blutig aus den Köpfen fallen. Jahre später, als Student, trifft er plötzlich auf eben dieses Monster …

Coverbild: © Ron and Joe / Shutterstock.com

• Sprache: Deutsch
• Herausgeber: BookRix
• Erscheinungsdatum: 25. Apr. 2019
• ISBN: 9783736872318

Rezensionen für Der Sandmann. Erzählung

[altheaann · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

About the title story only...

E.T.A. HOFFMANN, The Sandman
(1816).

Remarkably modern-feeling in theme, probably because lately we've had quite a few writers harking back to this kind of story. The sinister traveling merchant Coppelius/Coppola, selling his 'eyes-a' is reflected in “Ilse, Who Saw Clearly” by E. Lily Yu, for example. And of course, the whole steampunk genre loves to explore the idea of clockwork automata.
To a modern reader, the structure of the story flows a bit oddly and unevenly, and the language is quite overwrought (although this may be an artifact of translation [?]) - but its careful ambiguity and depiction of a decline into madness are effectively done. I was familiar with the plotline of the ballet, Coppélia, which was based on this story - but the original tale is far, far darker.

[arkrayder · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

I found "The Sandman" a little trippy to read. Nathanael, the so called hero" comes across as a neurotic man, who has had a traumatic childhood, what with his grandmother scaring him with tales of the Sandman sprinkling sand in his eyes and then stealing them and the murder of his father. These events take root in him and setup what happens when Nathanael becomes an adult. From a psychological viewport it's hard to know if Nathaneal is perfectly sane or is already insane from the outset of the story. The disjointed structure of the narrative lends itself to this viewpoint as it could be said to represent Nathanael's mindset. The story is a quick read and holds together well for a two hundred year old tale.

[drardavis · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

Out of the mists of history, translated from German, and told in a style no longer in existence, comes a chilling sci-fi tale. I don’t know the connections, but this has similarities to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, published the same year. It deals with artificial intelligence, and with the devil. I found it referred to in Gods and Robots by Adriene Mayor when she was talking about the “uncanny valley” response phenomenon dealing with constructing robots that are “too lifelike.” There is an unforgettable scene in the middle where an optician, the devil, eyeballs, and spectacles torment the hapless main character. An update to this story would make a great Twilight Zone episode.

[thecrow2 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

A classic gothic supernatural short story about a childhood monster and a doll came to life.

[readingover50 · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

The Sandman was originally published in 1816. I read the book through the Serial Reader App. Because this is a short story, I think I would have enjoyed it better reading it all in one sitting, rather than broken up into seven sections. Still, there was much creepiness in the story.

The opening finds Nathanael remembering an incident from his childhood, when a terrifying figure he called the Sandman would come to visit his house. Years later, when Nathanael is away at University, he runs into a man he thinks is the Sandman, in disguise. Nathanael begins to doubt his own sanity as he tries to find out what is happening.

I am not an expert in the literature of the early 1800's, but I thought the plot of the story seemed fairly modern. Especially the introduction of an automaton. I enjoyed portions of this, while I thought other portions dragged a bit. The style was a little overwrought for my tastes.