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tcgarback's review against another edition
2.0
⭐️ ⭐️
Critic Score: C+
Reader Score: C-
I enjoyed these tales enough to read 400 pages of them, but while I’m curious to check out Hoffman’s other scary stuff (for this collection is rather like a potpourri, spanning a wide span of genre), I wonder if the loosely modernizing translations of this collection, as the preface admits, are why I found these tales so digestible and occasionally propulsive.
Of course these stories will be dated and problematic by today’s standards; their wackiness is where they succeed, though given my 2 stars, that’s no great success. The collection is often entertaining, often Romantically fun, and often a bore.
A general ranking of the stories, from favorite to least favorite:
“The Mines of Falun”
Efficiently paced and stuffed with fantastical imagery, this mysterious and minimally sexist tale is unsettling.
“Doge and Dogaressa”
A reimagining of Puss-In-Boots of sorts in medieval Venice, this story’s world was surprisingly enticing and readable.
“The Sandman”
This one is occasionally delicious with frights, occasionally meandering, but always pleasantly bizarre.
“The Entail”
Half is a spectacular haunted-house gothic, while the other half is a distracted and unwanted flashback overly concerned with a family curse and convoluted legal battles.
“The Artushof”
So odd it would be hard to summarize aloud, there was strange allure here.
“Councillor Krespel”
Not sure why this is considered one of his finest; it probably fed into popular misogyny. The hatefulness of the story left me uninterested.
“Mademoiselle de Scudery”
Overly long, and while it’s considered the first work of crime fiction, I found those elements of it to be the most unappealing. The genius of Hoffman’s “masterpiece” went over my head.
“The Choosing of the Bride”
The title almost gives you hope for a feminist twist. Nope. Exceedingly boring and plain, the fun is gone with this story. Yet there is an interesting self-awareness here that scholars might debate toward the discovery of meaningful social implications, making this to seem Hoffman’s most obviously commentative piece in the collection.
Critic Score: C+
Reader Score: C-
I enjoyed these tales enough to read 400 pages of them, but while I’m curious to check out Hoffman’s other scary stuff (for this collection is rather like a potpourri, spanning a wide span of genre), I wonder if the loosely modernizing translations of this collection, as the preface admits, are why I found these tales so digestible and occasionally propulsive.
Of course these stories will be dated and problematic by today’s standards; their wackiness is where they succeed, though given my 2 stars, that’s no great success. The collection is often entertaining, often Romantically fun, and often a bore.
A general ranking of the stories, from favorite to least favorite:
“The Mines of Falun”
Efficiently paced and stuffed with fantastical imagery, this mysterious and minimally sexist tale is unsettling.
“Doge and Dogaressa”
A reimagining of Puss-In-Boots of sorts in medieval Venice, this story’s world was surprisingly enticing and readable.
“The Sandman”
This one is occasionally delicious with frights, occasionally meandering, but always pleasantly bizarre.
“The Entail”
Half is a spectacular haunted-house gothic, while the other half is a distracted and unwanted flashback overly concerned with a family curse and convoluted legal battles.
“The Artushof”
So odd it would be hard to summarize aloud, there was strange allure here.
“Councillor Krespel”
Not sure why this is considered one of his finest; it probably fed into popular misogyny. The hatefulness of the story left me uninterested.
“Mademoiselle de Scudery”
Overly long, and while it’s considered the first work of crime fiction, I found those elements of it to be the most unappealing. The genius of Hoffman’s “masterpiece” went over my head.
“The Choosing of the Bride”
The title almost gives you hope for a feminist twist. Nope. Exceedingly boring and plain, the fun is gone with this story. Yet there is an interesting self-awareness here that scholars might debate toward the discovery of meaningful social implications, making this to seem Hoffman’s most obviously commentative piece in the collection.
francoisvigneault's review against another edition
4.0
(Note: This review of the Heritage Press edition originally appeared as part of a series of capsule reviews of illustrated novels, hence the focus on the art)
On my recent first visit to the excellent Robert’s Books in Lincoln City, Oregon, I
inquired whether he had books from the Heritage Press, Folio Society, et al
shelved with the other books. “Oh, I’ve got them over here,” the owner let me
know, showing me one of the larger selections of (affordable) illustrated books I
had seen in a long while. This was one of three books I picked up that day. The
name E. T. A. Hoffmann was vaguely familiar, but what drew me in were the
haunting, lively lithographs by Steiner-Prag. These are uniformly excellent;
charming and comedic but also darkly haunting. I was later quite amused to read
the bizarre prologue that the illustrator himself penned, in which the spirit of the
dead author visits Steiner-Prag to critique his work... A fear anyone who has
illustrated the work of a long-gone author can empathize with.
On my recent first visit to the excellent Robert’s Books in Lincoln City, Oregon, I
inquired whether he had books from the Heritage Press, Folio Society, et al
shelved with the other books. “Oh, I’ve got them over here,” the owner let me
know, showing me one of the larger selections of (affordable) illustrated books I
had seen in a long while. This was one of three books I picked up that day. The
name E. T. A. Hoffmann was vaguely familiar, but what drew me in were the
haunting, lively lithographs by Steiner-Prag. These are uniformly excellent;
charming and comedic but also darkly haunting. I was later quite amused to read
the bizarre prologue that the illustrator himself penned, in which the spirit of the
dead author visits Steiner-Prag to critique his work... A fear anyone who has
illustrated the work of a long-gone author can empathize with.
bookfessional's review against another edition
4.0
Some of the creepiest stories that I've ever read. I recommend NOT reading this if you're going to be alone for any extended period of time . . . just saying . . .
heather_freshparchment's review against another edition
3.0
3.5. Some stories are very good, but some are too long and rambling. Others make a great horror story, but are wrapped up too neatly at the end to leave the reader chilled.
kdraw333's review against another edition
4.0
I love the Gothic and Romantic atmosphere of these tales, which are full of weird and wonderful scenes. It makes me want to illustrate them all. I'm sure I will return to it later and read the rest of the stories but my modern attention span couldn't sit with the collection until the end, trying to read it between other books.
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