The Shattered Self: E. T. A. Hoffmann's Tragic Vision

A thematic study of E.T.A. Hoffmann's works which concentrates on Hoffmann's tragic view of human existence. Horst Daemmrich's revaluation of Hoffmann shows him to be a precursor of modern existential thinking. He analyzes major themes and motifs and shows that they form a grand design of man in search for identity. He shows that Hoffmann portrays the disintegration of the individual in a world of uncontrolled forces.