The Sandman

“The Sandman,” like all of E. T. A. Hoffmann’s tales, deals with the unsettling disparity between the self and the external world. For Hoffmann there were three possibilities for facing thе basic disharmony between internal and external reality: Like Nathanael, one may allow thе inner visions and feelings to predominate, leading eventually to madness; likе Clara, one may insist on the primary importance оf everyday, factual reality; or, like the Romantic writer, one may accept this dualism аnd try to transcend it with ironic detachment.