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Undine
"Most artistic of all the continental weird tales is the German classic Undine (1814), by Friedrich Heinrich Karl, Baron de la Motte Fouque. In this story of a water-spirit who married a mortal and gained a human soul there is a delicate fineness of craftsmanship which makes it notable in any department of literature and an easy naturalness which places it close to the genuine folk-myth." -- H.P. Lovecraft, "Supernatural Horror In Literature"
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1811
About the author
Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué
273 books35 followersFriedrich Heinrich Karl de la Motte, Baron Fouqué was a German writer of the romantic style.
He was born at Brandenburg an der Havel, of a family of French Huguenot origin, as evidenced in his family name. His grandfather, Heinrich August de la Motte Fouqué, had been one of Frederick the Great's generals and his father was a Prussian officer. Although not originally intended for a military career, Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué ultimately gave up his university studies at Halle to join the army, and he took part in the Rhine campaign of 1794. The rest of his life was devoted mainly to literary pursuits. He was introduced to August Wilhelm Schlegel, who deeply influenced him as a poet (mich gelehret Maß und Regel | Meister August Wilhelm Schlegel) and who published Fouqué's first book, Dramatische Spiele von Pellegrin, in 1804.
Fouqué's first marriage was unhappy and soon ended in divorce. His second wife, Caroline Philippine von Briest (1773-1831), enjoyed some reputation as a novelist in her day. After her death Fouqué married a third time. Some consolation for the ebbing tide of popular favour was afforded him by the munificence of Frederick William IV of Prussia, who granted him a pension which allowed him to spend his later years in comfort. He died in Berlin in 1843.
He was born at Brandenburg an der Havel, of a family of French Huguenot origin, as evidenced in his family name. His grandfather, Heinrich August de la Motte Fouqué, had been one of Frederick the Great's generals and his father was a Prussian officer. Although not originally intended for a military career, Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué ultimately gave up his university studies at Halle to join the army, and he took part in the Rhine campaign of 1794. The rest of his life was devoted mainly to literary pursuits. He was introduced to August Wilhelm Schlegel, who deeply influenced him as a poet (mich gelehret Maß und Regel | Meister August Wilhelm Schlegel) and who published Fouqué's first book, Dramatische Spiele von Pellegrin, in 1804.
Fouqué's first marriage was unhappy and soon ended in divorce. His second wife, Caroline Philippine von Briest (1773-1831), enjoyed some reputation as a novelist in her day. After her death Fouqué married a third time. Some consolation for the ebbing tide of popular favour was afforded him by the munificence of Frederick William IV of Prussia, who granted him a pension which allowed him to spend his later years in comfort. He died in Berlin in 1843.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 271 reviews
January 2, 2022
“Is it not strange that things invariably turn out other than what we expected them to be? The malignant power, which lies in wait to deceive us, loves to lull its chosen victim to sleep with sweet songs and golden stories. On the other hand the messenger that brings salvation from heaven often raps sharply and terrifyingly at our door.”
It is easy to become enamored with fantastical novellas of romanticism as this imaginative story is as charming as mermaids. No wonder George MacDonald said Undine is "the most beautiful" of all fairy stories, Louisa Alcott referenced it in Little Women and Hans Christian Andersen was inspired by the portrayal of souls in Undine while writing The Little Mermaid.
Undine, a magical creature, a water spirit, seductresses, rebel, enchantress, femme fatale, is adopted by the fisherman and his wife and later on marries a knight in order to gain a soul.
"The soul must be a heavy burden," she continued, as no one answered her, "very heavy! for even its approaching image overshadows me with anxiety and sadness. And, ah! I was so light-hearted and so merry till now!”
Undine has also her mirror image, shadow, twin character in the figure of Bertalda, the real lost child of Undine’s foster parents, a woman her knight husband ultimately becomes romantically interested in. The story captures the duality of women, the two sides of the coin, the witch and the dragon, and the ideal fairy mermaid.
“Wonderful and horrible dreams had disturbed Huldbrand's rest; he had been haunted by spectres, who, grinning at him by stealth, had tried to disguise themselves as beautiful women, and from beautiful women they all at once assumed the faces of dragons, and when he started up from these hideous visions, the moonlight shone pale and cold into the room; terrified he looked at Undine, who still lay in unaltered beauty and grace. Then he would press a light kiss upon her rosy lips, and would fall asleep again only to be awakened by new terrors. After he had reflected on all this, now that he was fully awake, he reproached himself for any doubt that could have led him into error with regard to his beautiful wife.”
Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué plays with the moral ambiguity of the characters as Undine fluctuates as the element she rules, and shows that idealization is a not firm foundation for love, not even in romanticism.
“When he asked him [Father Heilmann] what he was doing there, since he would not give the benediction, he answered, 'There are other benedictions than that which is given at the marriage-altar, and, if I am not come to the wedding, it may be I shall be needed for some other ceremony. Besides there is no great difference between wedding and weeping, and he who does not willfully blind himself, has to recognize that.”
Novella has all the pivotal characteristics and allure of romanticism - the celebration of nature, folk tale elements, focus on the individual and spirituality, isolation, melancholy and tragic end, all seasoned with magical descriptions and sparkles of irony and brilliant humor.
“You must know, my loved one, that there are beings in the elements which almost appear like mortals, and which rarely allow themselves to become visible to your race. Wonderful salamanders glitter and sport in the flames; lean and malicious gnomes dwell deep within the earth; spirits, belonging to the air, wander through the forests; and a vast family of water spirits live in the lakes and streams and brooks. In resounding domes of crystal, through which the sky looks in with its sun and stars, these latter spirits find their beautiful abode; lofty trees of coral with blue and crimson fruits gleam in their gardens; they wander over the pure sand of the sea, and among lovely variegated shells, and amid all exquisite treasures of the old world, which the present is no longer worthy to enjoy; all these the floods have covered with their secret veils of silver, and the noble monuments sparkle below, stately and solemn, and bedewed by the loving waters which allure from them many a beautiful moss-flower and entwining cluster of sea grass. Those, however, who dwell there, are very fair and lovely to behold, and for the most part, are more beautiful than human beings. Many a fisherman has been so fortunate as to surprise some tender mermaid, as she rose above the waters and sang. He would then tell afar of her beauty, and such wonderful beings have been given the name of Undines. You, however, are now actually beholding an Undine.”
It is easy to become enamored with fantastical novellas of romanticism as this imaginative story is as charming as mermaids. No wonder George MacDonald said Undine is "the most beautiful" of all fairy stories, Louisa Alcott referenced it in Little Women and Hans Christian Andersen was inspired by the portrayal of souls in Undine while writing The Little Mermaid.
Undine, a magical creature, a water spirit, seductresses, rebel, enchantress, femme fatale, is adopted by the fisherman and his wife and later on marries a knight in order to gain a soul.
"The soul must be a heavy burden," she continued, as no one answered her, "very heavy! for even its approaching image overshadows me with anxiety and sadness. And, ah! I was so light-hearted and so merry till now!”
Undine has also her mirror image, shadow, twin character in the figure of Bertalda, the real lost child of Undine’s foster parents, a woman her knight husband ultimately becomes romantically interested in. The story captures the duality of women, the two sides of the coin, the witch and the dragon, and the ideal fairy mermaid.
“Wonderful and horrible dreams had disturbed Huldbrand's rest; he had been haunted by spectres, who, grinning at him by stealth, had tried to disguise themselves as beautiful women, and from beautiful women they all at once assumed the faces of dragons, and when he started up from these hideous visions, the moonlight shone pale and cold into the room; terrified he looked at Undine, who still lay in unaltered beauty and grace. Then he would press a light kiss upon her rosy lips, and would fall asleep again only to be awakened by new terrors. After he had reflected on all this, now that he was fully awake, he reproached himself for any doubt that could have led him into error with regard to his beautiful wife.”
Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué plays with the moral ambiguity of the characters as Undine fluctuates as the element she rules, and shows that idealization is a not firm foundation for love, not even in romanticism.
“When he asked him [Father Heilmann] what he was doing there, since he would not give the benediction, he answered, 'There are other benedictions than that which is given at the marriage-altar, and, if I am not come to the wedding, it may be I shall be needed for some other ceremony. Besides there is no great difference between wedding and weeping, and he who does not willfully blind himself, has to recognize that.”
Novella has all the pivotal characteristics and allure of romanticism - the celebration of nature, folk tale elements, focus on the individual and spirituality, isolation, melancholy and tragic end, all seasoned with magical descriptions and sparkles of irony and brilliant humor.
“You must know, my loved one, that there are beings in the elements which almost appear like mortals, and which rarely allow themselves to become visible to your race. Wonderful salamanders glitter and sport in the flames; lean and malicious gnomes dwell deep within the earth; spirits, belonging to the air, wander through the forests; and a vast family of water spirits live in the lakes and streams and brooks. In resounding domes of crystal, through which the sky looks in with its sun and stars, these latter spirits find their beautiful abode; lofty trees of coral with blue and crimson fruits gleam in their gardens; they wander over the pure sand of the sea, and among lovely variegated shells, and amid all exquisite treasures of the old world, which the present is no longer worthy to enjoy; all these the floods have covered with their secret veils of silver, and the noble monuments sparkle below, stately and solemn, and bedewed by the loving waters which allure from them many a beautiful moss-flower and entwining cluster of sea grass. Those, however, who dwell there, are very fair and lovely to behold, and for the most part, are more beautiful than human beings. Many a fisherman has been so fortunate as to surprise some tender mermaid, as she rose above the waters and sang. He would then tell afar of her beauty, and such wonderful beings have been given the name of Undines. You, however, are now actually beholding an Undine.”
June 20, 2020
"El que escribe estas líneas sabe que todo esto se podría escribir con detalle, tal vez debería hacerlo así. Pero el corazón le duele demasiado, él ha experimentado cosas similares, e incluso en el recuerdo se asusta de sus sombras."
Gran historia, aunque no sé qué le ha faltado para ponerle 5 estrellas. De la Motte Fouqué es un escritor alemán de la época napoleónica que combatió contra él pues formó parte del ejército y desde luego formó parte del nacionalismo alemán que surgió por aquellos tiempos expresado en la literatura romántica.
Ondina en realidad es una de tantas a las cuales: "Más de un pecador ha logrado atisbar a una de esas criaturas acuáticas cuando salía de las aguas y cantaba, luego habló de su belleza, y esas maravillosas mujeres son llamadas Ondinas por los hombres."
Aunque no se habla de otras similares a ellas de su especie, desde muy pequeña fue criada por unos abuelos pescadores que viven en un lugar cerca al bosque encantado al que la gente no suele acercarse por temor a lo seres que viven ahí. Hasta que un día un caballero apuesto y noble llamado Huldbrand von Ringstetten dueño de un castillo cerca al río Danubio aparece en medio de ellos, inmediatamente habrá una atracción entre ambos. Aunque Ondina más parece una niña en las descripciones, coqueta, de humor cambiante y muy acuciosa, guarda también un lado oscuro que se manifiesta en todo este relato, esta naturaleza nunca logré a comprenderla bien, me refiero al hecho de tener a veces pensamientos un poco oscuros y hasta en cierto modo violentos de los cuales nunca entendí bien el origen. Ella está como atada de alguna manera al mundo mágico de los seres que pueblan las aguas como su tío Kuhleborn quien no ve con buenos ojos el acercamiento entre ellos y los humanos.
Sin embargo, Huldbrand ha dejado en su castillo a una amiga muy hermosa también, Bertalda, quien tiene un carácter de alguna manera opuesto a Ondina. Las relaciones entre los tres fundamentalmente dan hilo a esta historia y también permite ver el carácter de Ondina y desde luego del caballero.
Siento como que no he logrado entender a cabalidad el mensaje y sobre todo las intenciones del autor a lo largo del relato porque hubieron muchas situaciones que no entendí o me parecían un poco inconexas con el sentido que toma el relato. A mi parecer es un libro escrito como para niños aunque el tema no lo es desde luego, el estilo me pareció un poco simple y hay un tono moralizante creo desde el inicio al fin pero que no lo vi muy bien definido, por ello, mi confusión por momentos.
Desde luego habiendo inspirado a Andersen en su cuento "La sirenita, prefiero este último. No me llegó a encantar del todo.
Gran historia, aunque no sé qué le ha faltado para ponerle 5 estrellas. De la Motte Fouqué es un escritor alemán de la época napoleónica que combatió contra él pues formó parte del ejército y desde luego formó parte del nacionalismo alemán que surgió por aquellos tiempos expresado en la literatura romántica.
Ondina en realidad es una de tantas a las cuales: "Más de un pecador ha logrado atisbar a una de esas criaturas acuáticas cuando salía de las aguas y cantaba, luego habló de su belleza, y esas maravillosas mujeres son llamadas Ondinas por los hombres."
Aunque no se habla de otras similares a ellas de su especie, desde muy pequeña fue criada por unos abuelos pescadores que viven en un lugar cerca al bosque encantado al que la gente no suele acercarse por temor a lo seres que viven ahí. Hasta que un día un caballero apuesto y noble llamado Huldbrand von Ringstetten dueño de un castillo cerca al río Danubio aparece en medio de ellos, inmediatamente habrá una atracción entre ambos. Aunque Ondina más parece una niña en las descripciones, coqueta, de humor cambiante y muy acuciosa, guarda también un lado oscuro que se manifiesta en todo este relato, esta naturaleza nunca logré a comprenderla bien, me refiero al hecho de tener a veces pensamientos un poco oscuros y hasta en cierto modo violentos de los cuales nunca entendí bien el origen. Ella está como atada de alguna manera al mundo mágico de los seres que pueblan las aguas como su tío Kuhleborn quien no ve con buenos ojos el acercamiento entre ellos y los humanos.
Sin embargo, Huldbrand ha dejado en su castillo a una amiga muy hermosa también, Bertalda, quien tiene un carácter de alguna manera opuesto a Ondina. Las relaciones entre los tres fundamentalmente dan hilo a esta historia y también permite ver el carácter de Ondina y desde luego del caballero.
Siento como que no he logrado entender a cabalidad el mensaje y sobre todo las intenciones del autor a lo largo del relato porque hubieron muchas situaciones que no entendí o me parecían un poco inconexas con el sentido que toma el relato. A mi parecer es un libro escrito como para niños aunque el tema no lo es desde luego, el estilo me pareció un poco simple y hay un tono moralizante creo desde el inicio al fin pero que no lo vi muy bien definido, por ello, mi confusión por momentos.
Desde luego habiendo inspirado a Andersen en su cuento "La sirenita, prefiero este último. No me llegó a encantar del todo.
March 1, 2021
Undina nije samo vodena vila koja je kroz ljubav sa smrtnikom-vitezom stekla dušu, ona je i posvojče zamalo nazvano Doroteja (Božidarka), nestašni devojčurak, džangrizava tinejdžerka, ukapljičeni kikot, prpošna buntovnica, tragična heroina, ljubomorna pa velikodušna, nesigurna femme fatale, krhka akvakatastofa, šuškava izvir-voda, iskupiteljka izgubljenog, svojeglavi vihor, idealna draga, mrtva draga, živo jezero.
Huldbrand je vitez, ali ne ponaša se viteški. Razumem ga, donekle.
Studen-vrutak je Undinin (prisvojeni) stric, koji sve moguće zamislive magije sa vodom može upriličiti.
Bertalda je smrtnica, zbog koje je Undina šiljkastim zubićima ugrizla Huldbranda za prst. I znala je šta radi.
Fascinantno je kako je uz nužne hrišćanske podupirače u delu, ovde sve raskošno živo. A voda je najživlja.
I kako zaboraviti prizor u kome tle postaje zeleno staklo a pod njim vilenjaci koji duvaju jedni u druge zlatni prah, a uporni čovečuljak je za petama.
Osim divne imaginacije, briljantnog i neusiljenog krojenja folklornih matrica, koje se kreće od bajke do etiološkog predanja, zadivljujuć i neočekivan je ovde za mene humor, ironija, ali i neke odlične naratološke forice. Bolje da ne otkrivam.
(Bilo bi sjajno kada bi se proizvodili vodeni pištolji i prskalice marke Undina.)
Huldbrand je vitez, ali ne ponaša se viteški. Razumem ga, donekle.
Studen-vrutak je Undinin (prisvojeni) stric, koji sve moguće zamislive magije sa vodom može upriličiti.
Bertalda je smrtnica, zbog koje je Undina šiljkastim zubićima ugrizla Huldbranda za prst. I znala je šta radi.
Fascinantno je kako je uz nužne hrišćanske podupirače u delu, ovde sve raskošno živo. A voda je najživlja.
I kako zaboraviti prizor u kome tle postaje zeleno staklo a pod njim vilenjaci koji duvaju jedni u druge zlatni prah, a uporni čovečuljak je za petama.
Osim divne imaginacije, briljantnog i neusiljenog krojenja folklornih matrica, koje se kreće od bajke do etiološkog predanja, zadivljujuć i neočekivan je ovde za mene humor, ironija, ali i neke odlične naratološke forice. Bolje da ne otkrivam.
(Bilo bi sjajno kada bi se proizvodili vodeni pištolji i prskalice marke Undina.)
December 16, 2022
Henry Fuseli, Undine warns Huldbrand of Kühleborn's revenge, 1819–1822
This wonderfully gloomy fairytale has all the darkness and magic of a story from the Brothers Grimm (who were working around the same time), but with an infusion of the Romantic sublime. The story of a German knight who falls in love with a water-sprite, it's at once a pastiche of chivalric romance, a mystical guidebook, and a kind of erotic parable.
From the very beginning, we are in a world made up of unknowable darkness and shadows where mysteries lurk. Fouqué talks much of the finstere Nacht and the nächtlichen Schatten, while the sort-of-hero Sir Huldbrand roams around in Nacht und Einsamkeit and falls dazed into bed where es Gespenster gäbe im Schlaf. Like a lot of stories from the period, Undine includes a love triangle – here, of Huldbrand caught between the magical Undine and the earthly Bertalda – but the dynamics of this are handled with much more psychological complexity than you might expect, and it's clear that there is no resolution to the tension which will not leave us as readers troubled. From that point of view, the firmly tragic ending feels inevitable, and extremely satisfying.
Fouqué was a devotee of medieval romance and Scandinavian myth, elements of both of which appear in Undine, and the tale had quite an impressive impact on European culture, inspiring numerous operas and other adaptations; Oscar Wilde's story ‘The Fisherman and his Soul’ is an obvious descendant. I read it half in German and half in the English version from Dedalus (which infuriatingly does not identify the translator, though from what I can tell it's the one made by Elizabeth Fanny Bunnet in 1867). Written at a time when folklore was only just becoming prominent, it's one of the best examples of the enduring power of these archetypal conflicts and desires.
June 9, 2019
Ein tragisches Kunstmärchen das viele mythologische und Gruselelemente enthält.
"Undine" bietet die Vorlage zur kleinen Meerjungfrau, basiert jedoch gleichzeitig auf der Sage der Melusine aus dem Mittelalter. Die Wassernymphe Melusine heiratet einen Fischer, den sie ermahnt niemals ein böses Wort gegen sie zu richten. Der vergisst sich natürlich irgendwann und seine Frau wird vom Wassergeist zurückgeholt. Vielleicht sollte dieses Märchen Männer dazu anhalten sich nicht wie Wüstlinge gegenüber ihren Frauen aufzuführen.
Die Sympathie des Erzählers auf Seiten der Undine ist jedenfalls deutlich herauszuhören, ebenso wie die Verurteilung des Ritters und Bertaldas. Letztere ist so ziemlich eine der hinterlistigsten und fiesesten Charaktere die ich aus Märchen kenne, gerade weil sie nicht ausschließlich böse (wie bspw. die typische böse Königin) ist, sondern sehr menschlich. Im Gegensatz zu den meisten Märchen gibt es hier nämlich kein eindeutiges Gut oder Böse, nur menschliche Stärken und Schwächen sowie die Unberechenbarkeit der Natur, verkörpert durch die Elementargeister.
Ich fand Erzählstil und Sprache sehr schön, sodass ich für ein paar Stunden in der Geschichte versinken konnte.
"Undine" bietet die Vorlage zur kleinen Meerjungfrau, basiert jedoch gleichzeitig auf der Sage der Melusine aus dem Mittelalter. Die Wassernymphe Melusine heiratet einen Fischer, den sie ermahnt niemals ein böses Wort gegen sie zu richten. Der vergisst sich natürlich irgendwann und seine Frau wird vom Wassergeist zurückgeholt. Vielleicht sollte dieses Märchen Männer dazu anhalten sich nicht wie Wüstlinge gegenüber ihren Frauen aufzuführen.
Die Sympathie des Erzählers auf Seiten der Undine ist jedenfalls deutlich herauszuhören, ebenso wie die Verurteilung des Ritters und Bertaldas. Letztere ist so ziemlich eine der hinterlistigsten und fiesesten Charaktere die ich aus Märchen kenne, gerade weil sie nicht ausschließlich böse (wie bspw. die typische böse Königin) ist, sondern sehr menschlich. Im Gegensatz zu den meisten Märchen gibt es hier nämlich kein eindeutiges Gut oder Böse, nur menschliche Stärken und Schwächen sowie die Unberechenbarkeit der Natur, verkörpert durch die Elementargeister.
Ich fand Erzählstil und Sprache sehr schön, sodass ich für ein paar Stunden in der Geschichte versinken konnte.
October 6, 2021
Ondina racconta la storia di, appunto, Ondina, una ninfa delle acque, personaggio mitologico che qui calca il palcoscenico del folklore germanico, dopo essere entrata in contatto con gli umani, vorrebbe...
Appena iniziato a leggere le prime pagine, sono stato catapultato in una narrazione così delicata, candida, struggente di altri tempi, questa dolcezza e gentilezza estreme potrebbero rendere la lettura noiosamente iperglicemica, ma al contrario, mi ha aperto il cuore e la lettura mi è risultata così coinvolgente e appassionante. Ero lì con Ondina in ogni parte del racconto, con il cuore spezzato in mille frammenti che mi laceravano il petto. Che fascino dell'ancestrale, del sublime e del candore, mi ha instillato questa lettura, è difficile da raccontare a parole!
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...
Appena iniziato a leggere le prime pagine, sono stato catapultato in una narrazione così delicata, candida, struggente di altri tempi, questa dolcezza e gentilezza estreme potrebbero rendere la lettura noiosamente iperglicemica, ma al contrario, mi ha aperto il cuore e la lettura mi è risultata così coinvolgente e appassionante. Ero lì con Ondina in ogni parte del racconto, con il cuore spezzato in mille frammenti che mi laceravano il petto. Che fascino dell'ancestrale, del sublime e del candore, mi ha instillato questa lettura, è difficile da raccontare a parole!
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...
August 30, 2022
I recently visited the Austrian city Baden, about 20 minutes south of Vienna. They have a gorgeous park there and among the many architectural sights, I saw a fountain that fascinated me: The Undine Fountain, built in 1903 to celebrate the construction of the city's water line network.
I looked up the tale that this fountain is based on, and found it to be an extremely interesting literary fairy tale written in 1811 which served as inspiration for Hans Christian Andersen's famous Little Mermaid.
As with nearly all literary works from bygone eras, you need to accept the time's circumstances, such as a woman being mainly a husband's servant while happily accepting that fact instead of trying to break out of her golden cage.
'Undine' by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué is the story of a fisherman who lives with his wife and daughter on the shore of a lake in the middle of a dark forest that is haunted by apparitions and nature ghosts. People avoid the dark forest and only the fisherman is able to travel through it regularly to trade with the nearby town. His pure heart and religious (Roman Catholic Christian) ways are protecting him from harmful spirits.
The fisherman and his wife live with a young maiden, Undine, who is both an outstanding beauty and a tiring brat, as she often runs off into the woods and comes and goes however she pleases, seemingly unafraid of stroms, rain or whatever is lurking out there in the dark forest.
One day, a handsome knight gets lost in the dark forest and reaches the fisherman's cabin. He accepts the elderly couple's hospitality and Undine does her best to seduce the stranger. Eventually, Undine and the knight get married in the forest, after a priest mysteriously loses his way too and ends up in the same cabin.
You see that there's a pattern here. Undine is actually a water spirit, sent to the fisherman to get in contact with the human world and find a human man to marry. For this is the only way for a spirit to obtain a soul.
The other water spirits around her are her relatives and they help her achieve the goal of getting married.
Once the marriage is through, Undine's behavior changes from free-spirited seductress to demure housewife (probably the result of having a soul?) and she is willing to leave the dark forest and move to her husband's castle with him.
The only problem is: The knight already has a fiancé he was supposed to marry.
The story culminates in the sad truth that the knight stops being faithful to Undine and asks her to leave, so he can marry the other woman.
Despite still loving her husband, the rejected Undine must abide by the nature spirits' laws and on the day of her husband's marriage to the other woman, she rises up from a well in the castle's courtyard (the moment that is depicted in the fountain above) and gives her unfaithful husband a kiss of death, drowning him in her tears.
It's a surprisingly powerful story that did remind me of the original Little Mermaid tale a lot, just with considerably darker tones.
Also, the main obstacle being the knight's unfaithfulness and the revenge of the betrayed first wife, sounds a bit like a moral lesson that doesn't unfold the same power today that it probably did in the 1800s.
Still, I enjoyed the story a lot and found the dated language and style pretty interesting to read.
Definitely a refreshing piece of literature for me.
4 stars!
I looked up the tale that this fountain is based on, and found it to be an extremely interesting literary fairy tale written in 1811 which served as inspiration for Hans Christian Andersen's famous Little Mermaid.
As with nearly all literary works from bygone eras, you need to accept the time's circumstances, such as a woman being mainly a husband's servant while happily accepting that fact instead of trying to break out of her golden cage.
'Undine' by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué is the story of a fisherman who lives with his wife and daughter on the shore of a lake in the middle of a dark forest that is haunted by apparitions and nature ghosts. People avoid the dark forest and only the fisherman is able to travel through it regularly to trade with the nearby town. His pure heart and religious (Roman Catholic Christian) ways are protecting him from harmful spirits.
The fisherman and his wife live with a young maiden, Undine, who is both an outstanding beauty and a tiring brat, as she often runs off into the woods and comes and goes however she pleases, seemingly unafraid of stroms, rain or whatever is lurking out there in the dark forest.
One day, a handsome knight gets lost in the dark forest and reaches the fisherman's cabin. He accepts the elderly couple's hospitality and Undine does her best to seduce the stranger. Eventually, Undine and the knight get married in the forest, after a priest mysteriously loses his way too and ends up in the same cabin.
You see that there's a pattern here. Undine is actually a water spirit, sent to the fisherman to get in contact with the human world and find a human man to marry. For this is the only way for a spirit to obtain a soul.
The other water spirits around her are her relatives and they help her achieve the goal of getting married.
Once the marriage is through, Undine's behavior changes from free-spirited seductress to demure housewife (probably the result of having a soul?) and she is willing to leave the dark forest and move to her husband's castle with him.
The only problem is: The knight already has a fiancé he was supposed to marry.
The story culminates in the sad truth that the knight stops being faithful to Undine and asks her to leave, so he can marry the other woman.
Despite still loving her husband, the rejected Undine must abide by the nature spirits' laws and on the day of her husband's marriage to the other woman, she rises up from a well in the castle's courtyard (the moment that is depicted in the fountain above) and gives her unfaithful husband a kiss of death, drowning him in her tears.
It's a surprisingly powerful story that did remind me of the original Little Mermaid tale a lot, just with considerably darker tones.
Also, the main obstacle being the knight's unfaithfulness and the revenge of the betrayed first wife, sounds a bit like a moral lesson that doesn't unfold the same power today that it probably did in the 1800s.
Still, I enjoyed the story a lot and found the dated language and style pretty interesting to read.
Definitely a refreshing piece of literature for me.
4 stars!
February 11, 2013
Read free Gutenberg Project ePub file on iPhone with sleeping newborn sprite (she was living in an aquatic environment just a few days ago) on chest or nearby. Read it thanks to an encouraging mention in Lovecraft's Supernatural Horror in Literature. It's a long fairy tale in form and tone, a supernatural love triangle involving the coolest secondary character I've seen in a while: an impish uncle who's half-man/half-brook. As H.P. states, early on it nicely evokes the unknown, particularly in the forest and the natural world (a storm, a flooding stream). Loved when the knight runs his sword through a waterfall. Liked how Undine (her unsettled soulnessness only repaired by marriage, in particular) reminded me of a few capricious/tempestuous young ladies I've known. A tragic disappearance of a child, a rich and beautiful knight, a mysterious beautiful damsel, a bit of conflict between paganism and a priest, but I felt like either it went on too long or I got impatient. Cleaner in syntax than Poe although written in 1811 but lordie the extravagantly named author dude sure liked his adverbs. Overall, a worthwhile read that might have made a better long story than a novella, but a fine extended complement to the Brothers Grimm.
June 25, 2022
Alapvetően nem szoktam elájulni a lovagos sztoriktól. Túl sok hierarchia van beléjük kódolva, amit ugyan érdekesnek, talán bájosnak találok, de aki szerint ez maga a romantikus aranykor, azt botoztassa meg Csongrád vármegye alispánja. Persze csak miután (ahogy azt a jogszerűség kívánalmai előírják) az erre vonatkozó határozatot szabályszerűen kidoboltatta a kisbíró minden vármegyei jogú település főterén.
Ezt a hierarchikusságot a történetekben található szerelmi szálak remekül illusztrálják: van ugye egy lovag, aki státuszából fakadóan szabad atom, azt csinál, amit akar, oda megy, ahová kedve tartja. Megvan hozzá a pénze, plusz egy bazi nagy kardja is, és ezek egyfajta igazoló okmányként szolgálnak, ha valami hatósági közeg alkalmatlankodna. Olyanok ezek a csávók, mint amilyenek a hippik lettek volna, ha reakciósok lettek volna: mennek egyik fesztiválról a másikra, mert futja rá, de időnként azért az erősebb jogán fejbe csűrnek valakit. A nő szerepe ezzel szemben merőben statikus. Ül egy helyben és VAN, ennyi a dolga. Ha pedig meglát egy lovagot, kutya kötelessége beleszeretni. Feltéve, ha meg tudja különböztetni a lovától.
Ám az Undine üdítően eltér ettől a sémától. Itt is azzal kezdünk, hogy jön a lovag, a szabad atom, és bezuhan a szegény halász kalyibájába. Nagy veszélyből menekedett meg: valami kísérteties erdőn dolgozta át magát. Az első kellemes meglepetés a halász és a lovag viszonya. Kettejük kapcsolata ugyanis meglehetősen szimmetrikus. Nem az van, hogy szegény plebs érezze magát megtisztelve, ha a méltóságos úr paripáját lecsutakolhatja, hanem egyenrangúként beszélgetnek, borozgatnak. Aztán megjelenik a nő. Mert hát nyilván kell minden ilyen sztoriba egy nő.
Undine a neve. Ő a halászék nevelt lánya, és hát igazán atipikus. Az egy dolog, hogy egyből gyönyörűnek meg csodálatosnak nevezi a lovagot - igaz, ez nem fér össze a szemérmesség törvényeivel, de ha egyszer ingerszegény közegben nevelkedett a kicsike, akkor megbocsátható. Meg hát biztos gyönyörű tényleg a lovag. Elhiszem. A különös az, hogy Undine milyen intenzíven éli meg a saját autonómiáját: azt csinál, amihez kedve van, kacarászik, huncutkodik, teljesen kívül áll a konvenciókon. Nem csoda, ha a lovag beleszeret, és el is veszi feleségül. Mondjuk nincsen rózsa tövis nélkül, mert csakhamar kiderül, hogy ez a lány igazából nem is ember (úgy értve, hogy nem a homo sapiens fajba tartozik), hanem valami sellő, víziszellem, boszorkány, ahogy tetszik. A fajok közötti házasság pedig bizony sajátos problémák kútfője - például ha az asszony rokonsága rosszindulatú folyódémonokból áll, akkor az feszültté teszi a közös családi vacsorákat. Kibontakozik tehát a szokott szép és tragikus história a Sorssal packázó szerelmesekről.
Szívesen olvastam, gördülékeny és izgalmas szöveg, meglepően szerethető figurákkal és plasztikus képekkel. Nagyon sokat hozzátettek a csodás illusztrációk is, Arthur Rackham munkái. Hoztam is egyet, ezzel zárom az értékelést:
Ezt a hierarchikusságot a történetekben található szerelmi szálak remekül illusztrálják: van ugye egy lovag, aki státuszából fakadóan szabad atom, azt csinál, amit akar, oda megy, ahová kedve tartja. Megvan hozzá a pénze, plusz egy bazi nagy kardja is, és ezek egyfajta igazoló okmányként szolgálnak, ha valami hatósági közeg alkalmatlankodna. Olyanok ezek a csávók, mint amilyenek a hippik lettek volna, ha reakciósok lettek volna: mennek egyik fesztiválról a másikra, mert futja rá, de időnként azért az erősebb jogán fejbe csűrnek valakit. A nő szerepe ezzel szemben merőben statikus. Ül egy helyben és VAN, ennyi a dolga. Ha pedig meglát egy lovagot, kutya kötelessége beleszeretni. Feltéve, ha meg tudja különböztetni a lovától.
Ám az Undine üdítően eltér ettől a sémától. Itt is azzal kezdünk, hogy jön a lovag, a szabad atom, és bezuhan a szegény halász kalyibájába. Nagy veszélyből menekedett meg: valami kísérteties erdőn dolgozta át magát. Az első kellemes meglepetés a halász és a lovag viszonya. Kettejük kapcsolata ugyanis meglehetősen szimmetrikus. Nem az van, hogy szegény plebs érezze magát megtisztelve, ha a méltóságos úr paripáját lecsutakolhatja, hanem egyenrangúként beszélgetnek, borozgatnak. Aztán megjelenik a nő. Mert hát nyilván kell minden ilyen sztoriba egy nő.
Undine a neve. Ő a halászék nevelt lánya, és hát igazán atipikus. Az egy dolog, hogy egyből gyönyörűnek meg csodálatosnak nevezi a lovagot - igaz, ez nem fér össze a szemérmesség törvényeivel, de ha egyszer ingerszegény közegben nevelkedett a kicsike, akkor megbocsátható. Meg hát biztos gyönyörű tényleg a lovag. Elhiszem. A különös az, hogy Undine milyen intenzíven éli meg a saját autonómiáját: azt csinál, amihez kedve van, kacarászik, huncutkodik, teljesen kívül áll a konvenciókon. Nem csoda, ha a lovag beleszeret, és el is veszi feleségül. Mondjuk nincsen rózsa tövis nélkül, mert csakhamar kiderül, hogy ez a lány igazából nem is ember (úgy értve, hogy nem a homo sapiens fajba tartozik), hanem valami sellő, víziszellem, boszorkány, ahogy tetszik. A fajok közötti házasság pedig bizony sajátos problémák kútfője - például ha az asszony rokonsága rosszindulatú folyódémonokból áll, akkor az feszültté teszi a közös családi vacsorákat. Kibontakozik tehát a szokott szép és tragikus história a Sorssal packázó szerelmesekről.
Szívesen olvastam, gördülékeny és izgalmas szöveg, meglepően szerethető figurákkal és plasztikus képekkel. Nagyon sokat hozzátettek a csodás illusztrációk is, Arthur Rackham munkái. Hoztam is egyet, ezzel zárom az értékelést:
January 21, 2018
Struggente fiaba superbamente scritta. Apparizioni fantastiche descritte in modo tanto efficace da materializzarsi subito alla mente con una potenza inaudita, cinematografica. Un incontro di mondi, folklore, leggende e credenze, con una morale squisitamente Romantica. Che qualcuno ristampi questo piccolo capolavoro con le stupende illustrazioni di Arthur Rackham, please!
July 2, 2019
This is the story of the Knight Huldbrand of Ring-stetten and of Undine, telling how the Knight wedded with water-sprite, and what chanced therefrom: and how the Knight died and was buried: and how Undine returned to her element beneath the Mediterranean Sea
'of all fairy-tales, the most beautiful...': https://blogs.bl.uk/european/2015/02/...
Charming. I liked the language and supernatural elements. I'd love to read a sapphic retelling of Undine.
Can be read here: https://archive.org/details/undine00l...
Quote:
He saw by the moonlight momentarily unveiled, a little island encircled by the flood; and there under the branches of the overhanging trees was Undine
The knight took the beautiful girl in his arms and bore her over the narrow space where the stream had divided her little island from the shore
Quote:
"Little niece," said Kuhleborn, "forget not that I am here with thee as a guide."
Soon she was lost to sight in the Danube
Quote:
Memorable phrases:
September 1, 2022
Undine
Von Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué (1777 – 1843)
Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué war ein Deutscher Schriftsteller, der das Glück hatte in einer goldenen Zeit dieser Kunst zu leben. Er kannte Goethe und Schiller und war Mitglied von Dichterkreisen, die ihn in vielfältige Beziehungen mit Kollegen brachten, sowie, von Arnim, von Chamisso, von Eichendorff, Heinrich von der Kleist und Adam Müller, und noch viele andere berühmte Künstler.
Undine wurde im Jahr 1811 geschrieben und in Fouqués Zeitschrift „Die Jahreszeiten“ herausgegeben.
Man kann die Geschichte ein romantisches Märchen nennen, es ist aber keineswegs ein Kindermärchen.
Undine ist das Findelkind eines alten Fischpaares, das überraschend eines Abends triefend nass vor deren Tür stand und Hilfe suchte. Das kleine Mädchen wurde auch sofort in die Familie aufgenommen und mit Liebe umgeben.
Ihr plötzliches Erscheinen war umso mehr überraschend da die Fischerhütte wohl an einem schönen kleinen See lag, der aber von einem großen dunklen Spuckwald umgeben war.
Die Geschichte geht weiter:
Wie der Ritter zu dem Fischer kam, auf welche Weise Undine zu dem Fischer gekommen war, wie sie Undinen wiederfanden, von dem was dem Ritter im Wald begegnet war, wie der Ritter auf der Seespitze lebte, von einer Trauung, der Tag nach der Hochzeit, wie der Ritter seine junge Frau mit sich führte, wie sie in der Stadt lebten, Bertaldas Namensfeier, wie aus der Reichsstadt abreisen, wie sie auf der Burg Ringstetten leben, wie Bertalda mit dem Ritter heimfuhr, die Reise nach Wien, von Huldebrands fürderm Ergehen, des Ritters Traum, wie der Ritter Huldebrand Hochzeit hielt, wie der Ritter Huldebrand begraben ward.
Der Leser hat nun gesehen, dass dieses schöne Märchen zu einem tragischen Ende führt.
Die liebliche Wassernixe konnte ihr Glück nicht unter Menschen finden und der Ritter Huldebrand wurde wegen Untreue, nach den Gesetzen der Elementargeister mit dem Tode bestraft.
Die überraschende Originalität dieses Romanes sowie der gewählte Stil und der überreiche, bunte, etwas altmodische Wortschatz machen dieses Buch zu einem Schmuckstück.
Von Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué (1777 – 1843)
Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué war ein Deutscher Schriftsteller, der das Glück hatte in einer goldenen Zeit dieser Kunst zu leben. Er kannte Goethe und Schiller und war Mitglied von Dichterkreisen, die ihn in vielfältige Beziehungen mit Kollegen brachten, sowie, von Arnim, von Chamisso, von Eichendorff, Heinrich von der Kleist und Adam Müller, und noch viele andere berühmte Künstler.
Undine wurde im Jahr 1811 geschrieben und in Fouqués Zeitschrift „Die Jahreszeiten“ herausgegeben.
Man kann die Geschichte ein romantisches Märchen nennen, es ist aber keineswegs ein Kindermärchen.
Undine ist das Findelkind eines alten Fischpaares, das überraschend eines Abends triefend nass vor deren Tür stand und Hilfe suchte. Das kleine Mädchen wurde auch sofort in die Familie aufgenommen und mit Liebe umgeben.
Ihr plötzliches Erscheinen war umso mehr überraschend da die Fischerhütte wohl an einem schönen kleinen See lag, der aber von einem großen dunklen Spuckwald umgeben war.
Die Geschichte geht weiter:
Wie der Ritter zu dem Fischer kam, auf welche Weise Undine zu dem Fischer gekommen war, wie sie Undinen wiederfanden, von dem was dem Ritter im Wald begegnet war, wie der Ritter auf der Seespitze lebte, von einer Trauung, der Tag nach der Hochzeit, wie der Ritter seine junge Frau mit sich führte, wie sie in der Stadt lebten, Bertaldas Namensfeier, wie aus der Reichsstadt abreisen, wie sie auf der Burg Ringstetten leben, wie Bertalda mit dem Ritter heimfuhr, die Reise nach Wien, von Huldebrands fürderm Ergehen, des Ritters Traum, wie der Ritter Huldebrand Hochzeit hielt, wie der Ritter Huldebrand begraben ward.
Der Leser hat nun gesehen, dass dieses schöne Märchen zu einem tragischen Ende führt.
Die liebliche Wassernixe konnte ihr Glück nicht unter Menschen finden und der Ritter Huldebrand wurde wegen Untreue, nach den Gesetzen der Elementargeister mit dem Tode bestraft.
Die überraschende Originalität dieses Romanes sowie der gewählte Stil und der überreiche, bunte, etwas altmodische Wortschatz machen dieses Buch zu einem Schmuckstück.
November 6, 2013
Das kommt davon, wenn gleich sich nicht zu gleich gesellt, wenn Mensch und Meerfräulein ein wunderliches Bündnis schließen
Die Liebe überschreitet alle Grenzen - der reiche Ritter Huldbrand, Schlossbesitzer, lernt auf einem unfreiwilligen Zwischenstop das arme Fischermädchen Undine kennen, und entbrennt sofort in Liebe zu ihr. Wenn es doch die einzige Grenzüberschreitung wäre...
"Undine" ist eine recht gelungene Mischung aus klassischer Gothic Novel und Hauffs Märchen - mal fühlt man sich ins Schloss von Otranto versetzt, mal in den Schwarzwald des Holländer-Michels. Sehr stimmungsvoll gelingt es dem Autor, diese Melange noch mit einer unglücklichen Liebesgeschichte anzureichern. Ein Schuss Moralistik dazu, fertig ist der Undine-Cocktail, der mir gut schmeckt.
Eine Rezension zu einem Buch von mir, ohne dass ein obskurer, an den Haaren herbeigezogener Verweis auf mein Lieblingsthema, die chinesische Literatur, drin vorkommt? Unmöglich. Hier ist er.
Nachdem ich vor kurzem erneut in die chinesische Novellenwelt eingetaucht war (Die Goldene Truhe), muss ich einfach darauf hinweisen, wie ähnlich sich manche Strukturen und Erzählmuster im Okzident und Orient sind. Ersetzen wir einfach die Namen Huldbrand und Undine durch, sagen wir, Wang Shi und Xiaoyun - zack, haben wir eine klassische chinesische Geschichte, sowohl in Ton als auch Erzählweise.
Schön, wieder mal einen Text zu lesen, der auch Namen mit einem Akkusativ flektiert. Ansonsten ist die Sprache aber recht modern und gut lesbar. Die Kindle-Edition ist kompetent, wenn auch uninspiriert gemacht, mir sind keine Satzfehler aufgefallen, aber auch keine Highlights.
Bei uns in Saarbrücken gibts einen Ruderverein, der "Undine" heißt. Dort kann man auch ganz gut essen, im Sommer ein Zwickel im Biergarten genießen, und dabei das Buch im Sonnenschein lesen.
Die Liebe überschreitet alle Grenzen - der reiche Ritter Huldbrand, Schlossbesitzer, lernt auf einem unfreiwilligen Zwischenstop das arme Fischermädchen Undine kennen, und entbrennt sofort in Liebe zu ihr. Wenn es doch die einzige Grenzüberschreitung wäre...
"Undine" ist eine recht gelungene Mischung aus klassischer Gothic Novel und Hauffs Märchen - mal fühlt man sich ins Schloss von Otranto versetzt, mal in den Schwarzwald des Holländer-Michels. Sehr stimmungsvoll gelingt es dem Autor, diese Melange noch mit einer unglücklichen Liebesgeschichte anzureichern. Ein Schuss Moralistik dazu, fertig ist der Undine-Cocktail, der mir gut schmeckt.
Eine Rezension zu einem Buch von mir, ohne dass ein obskurer, an den Haaren herbeigezogener Verweis auf mein Lieblingsthema, die chinesische Literatur, drin vorkommt? Unmöglich. Hier ist er.
Nachdem ich vor kurzem erneut in die chinesische Novellenwelt eingetaucht war (Die Goldene Truhe), muss ich einfach darauf hinweisen, wie ähnlich sich manche Strukturen und Erzählmuster im Okzident und Orient sind. Ersetzen wir einfach die Namen Huldbrand und Undine durch, sagen wir, Wang Shi und Xiaoyun - zack, haben wir eine klassische chinesische Geschichte, sowohl in Ton als auch Erzählweise.
Schön, wieder mal einen Text zu lesen, der auch Namen mit einem Akkusativ flektiert. Ansonsten ist die Sprache aber recht modern und gut lesbar. Die Kindle-Edition ist kompetent, wenn auch uninspiriert gemacht, mir sind keine Satzfehler aufgefallen, aber auch keine Highlights.
Bei uns in Saarbrücken gibts einen Ruderverein, der "Undine" heißt. Dort kann man auch ganz gut essen, im Sommer ein Zwickel im Biergarten genießen, und dabei das Buch im Sonnenschein lesen.
January 18, 2013
My wonderful, awesome boyfriend got me a copy of this book from 1909, illustrated by Arthur Rackham, for Christmas. It's become one of my most prized possessions. It is beautifully written (or translated, I suppose I should say) and of course, stunningly illustrated. I consider it a masterful example of the literary fairytale.
I like the story of Undine better than Hans Christian Anderson's "The Little Mermaid" for a number of reasons, though it features with very similar plot elements and themes. It is interesting that in Fonque's Undine, the mortal man turns from the mermaid/water nymph in favor of a mortal lover because he is made "afraid" of her extraordinary nature and powers. His feelings towards her change once she reveals to him that she is not a simple fishing girl. (This, I think could be possibly read in a number of ways - he does also learn at that time that supernatural forces that she is in legion with brought him her way, which is probably enough to freak anyone out a little. Yet from the start the narration describes that the knight needs no coaxing to become Undine's lover.) In "The Little Mermaid", the prince is romantically indifferent to the mermaid from start to finish. I think that alone indicates that two very different stories are told within each, though one principal plot point remains the same: the water nymph must marry a mortal man in order to gain the ultimate prize - a human soul. (I won't spoil the ending of either story for anyone who hasn't read them, but their quests end quite differently from one another, and certainly as neither anticipated.)
I would love to write a paper analyzing this text through a feminist lens (starting with the mermaid figure as a representation of 'the feminine mystique'), and comparing it to "The Little Mermaid". There is a lot of material for a very interesting discussion to be had.
I like the story of Undine better than Hans Christian Anderson's "The Little Mermaid" for a number of reasons, though it features with very similar plot elements and themes. It is interesting that in Fonque's Undine, the mortal man turns from the mermaid/water nymph in favor of a mortal lover because he is made "afraid" of her extraordinary nature and powers. His feelings towards her change once she reveals to him that she is not a simple fishing girl. (This, I think could be possibly read in a number of ways - he does also learn at that time that supernatural forces that she is in legion with brought him her way, which is probably enough to freak anyone out a little. Yet from the start the narration describes that the knight needs no coaxing to become Undine's lover.) In "The Little Mermaid", the prince is romantically indifferent to the mermaid from start to finish. I think that alone indicates that two very different stories are told within each, though one principal plot point remains the same: the water nymph must marry a mortal man in order to gain the ultimate prize - a human soul. (I won't spoil the ending of either story for anyone who hasn't read them, but their quests end quite differently from one another, and certainly as neither anticipated.)
I would love to write a paper analyzing this text through a feminist lens (starting with the mermaid figure as a representation of 'the feminine mystique'), and comparing it to "The Little Mermaid". There is a lot of material for a very interesting discussion to be had.
November 27, 2017
Durch einen Spukwald, der die Zivilisation vom elementaren Naturraum trennt, gerät Ritter Huldbrand zu einem alten Fischerehepaar und ihrer Ziehtochter Undine. Fasziniert von der wilden, unkonventionellen Undine, verliebt sich Huldbrand in die Kindfrau, die von ihrem Vater, einem Wasserfürsten, in die Menschenwelt geschickt wurde, um durch die Heirat mit einem Menschen eine Seele zu bekommen. Im beseelten Zustand verliert Undine ihr erotisches Charisma und die Liebe Huldbrands. Nicht ganz Teil der Menschenwelt, nicht ganz Teil der Wasserwelt wird Undine ihren untreuen Ehemann schließlich totweinen müssen.
Unter allen Wasserfrauentexten - die ich prinzipiell sehr mag - ist mir die populäre "Undine" mit Abstand die unliebste Variante der Erzähltradition. Undine ist die langweiligste aller aquatischen Männerfantasien: Neben ihre wirkungsmächtige und ambivalente Schwester Melusine gestellt, ödet das naive, sich selbst und seiner Umgebung fremd bleibende, romantische Naturkind ziemlich an. Schon Rahel Varnhagen war es "ganz unbegreiflich, daß grade Undine so viel Aufsehen gemacht hat". Ich schließe mich an.
Unter allen Wasserfrauentexten - die ich prinzipiell sehr mag - ist mir die populäre "Undine" mit Abstand die unliebste Variante der Erzähltradition. Undine ist die langweiligste aller aquatischen Männerfantasien: Neben ihre wirkungsmächtige und ambivalente Schwester Melusine gestellt, ödet das naive, sich selbst und seiner Umgebung fremd bleibende, romantische Naturkind ziemlich an. Schon Rahel Varnhagen war es "ganz unbegreiflich, daß grade Undine so viel Aufsehen gemacht hat". Ich schließe mich an.
January 27, 2023
Eggcelente. Es una caricia.
May 10, 2023
Che, me encantó. Tristísimo que no la hayamos visto en literatura alemana
August 26, 2023
In giving the Kindle Edition of Friedrich de la Motte Fouquee’s Undine 3 stars my intention is to point out that this is the Kindle Edition and despite the reference to an illustrator there are no illustrations. This story is quite interesting, very appropriate for a bed time story. Read in sections, perhaps a week’s worth. Besides having many of the romantic and thoughtful aspects that make for an appealing story for children; it has complexities that make it appealing for the adult reader. However, this is a book that has, and should have illustrations. My recommendation is to skip the Kindle copy and spend extra for a lavishly illustrated copy that may become a pass through the generations prized link between parent and child.
Undine, is not a mermaid, but rather a water sprite or spirit. She is daughter to a more powerful water spirit. Being a powerful spirit, her father grants himself some rights that the books asks you to accept. In the first pages a fisherman and his wife lose their daughter, suddenly and tragically. Sometime later they find a young girl and raise her as their daughter.
The household is very simple, remote but with a loving atmosphere. It is more than remote, it is at the edge of a stream that can overflow and threaten the lives of this couple and their assumed child, and it is surrounded by a fearful and haunted forest. The daughter has some strange habits, but she is allowed them.
Fate brings into this simple family a knight named Huldebrand. He is always described as a knight, but he is also a lord of a castle. For love of another lady, he has come on a quest into the dangerous forest. Here he has lost his way and at the extremes of his reserves he has to let himself be restored by this simple couple and their not so simple, and by the way attractive, just barely of age daughter.
Of course, the Knight becomes enamored of the Undine, for that is who/what she is.
So far this is almost a classic set up. The knight falls for the water spirit. Except, the knight just forsook a previous love. The previous love is very definitely human, with all that suggests. Also love is a human attribute, not know to water spirits.
These kinds of not exactly usual plot points make this story more complex and colored than is typical in the usual fairly story. The result is a nicely balanced story that the very young will most likely take as read, but the adult will have reason to think about after the young one as dropped off. True to any fairy story, warnings will be ignored and magical penalties will be enforced. One can assume a happily ever after ending, but even that will be less than the entire story.
Undine, is not a mermaid, but rather a water sprite or spirit. She is daughter to a more powerful water spirit. Being a powerful spirit, her father grants himself some rights that the books asks you to accept. In the first pages a fisherman and his wife lose their daughter, suddenly and tragically. Sometime later they find a young girl and raise her as their daughter.
The household is very simple, remote but with a loving atmosphere. It is more than remote, it is at the edge of a stream that can overflow and threaten the lives of this couple and their assumed child, and it is surrounded by a fearful and haunted forest. The daughter has some strange habits, but she is allowed them.
Fate brings into this simple family a knight named Huldebrand. He is always described as a knight, but he is also a lord of a castle. For love of another lady, he has come on a quest into the dangerous forest. Here he has lost his way and at the extremes of his reserves he has to let himself be restored by this simple couple and their not so simple, and by the way attractive, just barely of age daughter.
Of course, the Knight becomes enamored of the Undine, for that is who/what she is.
So far this is almost a classic set up. The knight falls for the water spirit. Except, the knight just forsook a previous love. The previous love is very definitely human, with all that suggests. Also love is a human attribute, not know to water spirits.
These kinds of not exactly usual plot points make this story more complex and colored than is typical in the usual fairly story. The result is a nicely balanced story that the very young will most likely take as read, but the adult will have reason to think about after the young one as dropped off. True to any fairy story, warnings will be ignored and magical penalties will be enforced. One can assume a happily ever after ending, but even that will be less than the entire story.
August 14, 2012
Bende blog macerasına atıldım :D
bu yorumu aynı zamanda blogumda da bulabilirsiniz
Can yayınlarının geçtiğimiz yıl yayınlamaya başladığı gotik-romantik serisine başlayabildim sonunda, ve ilk olarak seçimimi J.R.R Tolkien'in Yüzüklerin Efendisi'ne esin kaynağı olan Der Zauberring'in (sihirli yüzük) yazarı FRIEDRICH DE LA MOTTE FOUQUÉ'un 1809 yılında yazdığı Undine oldu.
Gerçekten güzel bir öyküydü. Beni etkiledi diyebilirim. Günümüzde özellikle maddi amaçlı adı gotik eserlerin yanında ilaç gibi geldi,işte sanat dedirtenlerdendi. Uzunca yer betimlemeleri ve zamanın ağdalı konuşmalarına sahip olduğu için herkese önerebilirim diyemem, açıkçası böylesinden sıkılacaklar hiç dokunmamalılar. Ancak ciddi anlamda gotik ve fantastik severlerin gözden kaçırmamalarını tavsiye ederim...
Aslında kitapta çok yakından tanıdığımız son zamaların bir kültü olan fantastik yaratık ve insan ilişkisi işlenmekte, çiftin nasıl tanıştığı ve birliktelikleri anlatılıyor ama bu sefer ne benim gibi tüm kızların bayıldığı paranormal romance'lerdeki gibi romantik ne de genç-yetişkin romanlarının pembe gözlüklerindeki gibi gerçeklikten uzak, bu sefer normal bir insan ve zorunluluklarına sağdık su perisi her türlü zorlukla başbaşa. Kimsenin suçu,hatası affedilmiyor ya da ne bileyim bir tanrıça inip düzeltmiyor herşeyi.
Kendimi kimi zaman ilk defa gotik bir kitap okuyormuş gibi hissettim açıkçası günümüzde lisedeki bir grup çocuğu siyahlara boğarak yazan yazarların bir kez dönüp okumalarını isterim bu tip eserleri. Karanlık ormanlar ve bilinmeyen yaratıklar ustaca kurgulanmıştı, yinede beni asıl etkileyen karakterlerin davranışları oldu. Çok gerçekçi ve yalındı, özellikle kişilik analizleri güzel yapılmıştı.
Kısaca kitap güzeldi ama sanki bir yerde birşey eksikti, ama kesinlikle bu seriye devam etmeyi düşünüyorum. Bazen güncellerden ve best seller lardan kafamı kaldırıp klasik okumak harika hissetiriyor.
Türkiye edisyonundan bahsedersek;Can yayınları yine harika bir çeviri yapmış. Kağıdı,baskısı kaliteliydi. Kapak görseli hoştu ancak bence hikayeden biraz kopuktu. Istock tan almışlar zaten kapak görselini, açıkçası daha uyumlu sarışın bir kadın bulabilirlerdi elbette diye düşünüyorum...
October 28, 2011
Çok güzel bir hikayeydi etkiledi beni bayağı :)
Bir gün bir balıkçı adam ve karısının kız bebekleri göl kenarında kaybolur ve akşama 3-4 yaşlarında çok güzel, sarışın bir kız üzerinden sular damlayarak kapılarında belirir ve bu aile kızı manevi çocukları olarak kabul ederler. İlerleyen yıllarda bir şovalyenin yolu bu ailenin yanına düşer ve görür görmez kızımız Undine'ye aşık olur ve onla evlenmek ister. Undine ise kendisi hakkındaki gerçeği anlatır adam onu kabul ederse evet demeye razı olur. Undine bir su perisidir ve adam onun aşkını redederse geldiği yere suların dibine geri dönmemesine gidecektir.. Adam ona söz verir ve evlenirler..
Şovalye, Undine ile rastlamadan önce başka kızdan hoşlanmaktadır ve kız gerçekte balıkçının kızıdır. Undine bu gerçeği sularda yaşayan akrabasından öğrenir. (Adam, Undine'nin evlenmesine karşı çıkmaktadır ve Undine'yi balıkçının kızı "Bertalda"dan uzak durması için uyarmaktadır) Ama Bertalda bazı olaylar sonucu Undine ve Şovalye ile yaşamaya başlar ve zaman sonra şovalye Bertalda'dan etkilenmeye başlamaktadır ve kötü akrabalarının rahat vermemesi sonucu Undine'den soğumaya başlar ve Undine sürekli ağlamaya başlar ama hala Şovalyeyi deli gibi seviyordur..
Neyse daha uzatmayayım okuyun sonunu siz öğrenin iyi spoiler verdim zaten. Anlamışsınızdır zaten böyle hüzünlü, dramatik bir kitaptı ama ben çok beğendim tek eksiği sonunda geldi bana ben daha değişik hayal ediyordum :)
Bir gün bir balıkçı adam ve karısının kız bebekleri göl kenarında kaybolur ve akşama 3-4 yaşlarında çok güzel, sarışın bir kız üzerinden sular damlayarak kapılarında belirir ve bu aile kızı manevi çocukları olarak kabul ederler. İlerleyen yıllarda bir şovalyenin yolu bu ailenin yanına düşer ve görür görmez kızımız Undine'ye aşık olur ve onla evlenmek ister. Undine ise kendisi hakkındaki gerçeği anlatır adam onu kabul ederse evet demeye razı olur. Undine bir su perisidir ve adam onun aşkını redederse geldiği yere suların dibine geri dönmemesine gidecektir.. Adam ona söz verir ve evlenirler..
Şovalye, Undine ile rastlamadan önce başka kızdan hoşlanmaktadır ve kız gerçekte balıkçının kızıdır. Undine bu gerçeği sularda yaşayan akrabasından öğrenir. (Adam, Undine'nin evlenmesine karşı çıkmaktadır ve Undine'yi balıkçının kızı "Bertalda"dan uzak durması için uyarmaktadır) Ama Bertalda bazı olaylar sonucu Undine ve Şovalye ile yaşamaya başlar ve zaman sonra şovalye Bertalda'dan etkilenmeye başlamaktadır ve kötü akrabalarının rahat vermemesi sonucu Undine'den soğumaya başlar ve Undine sürekli ağlamaya başlar ama hala Şovalyeyi deli gibi seviyordur..
Neyse daha uzatmayayım okuyun sonunu siz öğrenin iyi spoiler verdim zaten. Anlamışsınızdır zaten böyle hüzünlü, dramatik bir kitaptı ama ben çok beğendim tek eksiği sonunda geldi bana ben daha değişik hayal ediyordum :)
August 6, 2014
Even though I just finished this book yesterday, I feel the need to write my review quickly because it's a story that seems to slide out of my mind; when I would walk away from it and come back, it often took me a moment to reorient myself to this strange little story. Perhaps such slipperiness is appropriate for a story about a volatile water creature, but everything just felt so wishy-washy to me that I had trouble finding much to hold onto. Undine was a spoiled child or an angelic woman. The knight loved Undine passionately, then loved Bertalda, then Undine, then ... and Bertalda was a selfish snob, then a humble daughter, a passionate friend or a deceitful hussy. All said, I was irritated enough with Huldebrand's inability to commit that I really thought he deserved whatever Undine's vengeful uncle could throw at him.
Despite it being an old story (published 1811), the prose was quite easy to read, and there were some moments of heartbreak and beauty. As partial inspiration for The Little Mermaid, it was interesting to see the comparisons -- a mermaid who loves a human and gains a soul, a human man with a wavering heart, etc. But this lacks the heart of Andersen's classic, which may be why it won't stay with me in the same way.
Despite it being an old story (published 1811), the prose was quite easy to read, and there were some moments of heartbreak and beauty. As partial inspiration for The Little Mermaid, it was interesting to see the comparisons -- a mermaid who loves a human and gains a soul, a human man with a wavering heart, etc. But this lacks the heart of Andersen's classic, which may be why it won't stay with me in the same way.
August 14, 2011
I heard this described as a true fairytale. Intrigued, I read it and was not disappointed. A tragic tale of an elemental who seeks to gain a soul through unconditional love and marriage to a human. ( A handsome Knight of course) This book caters to all aspects of a true fairytale; a subtle yet revealing moral, magic and mystery, and of course, love and betrayal. My heart continuously went out to the beautiful "water-spirit" who so desperately wanted a soul, a better inner life and to the Knight, who was so human. An interesting look into elementals of nature, hints of astral projection and all things mystical, written and translated beautifully. Very highly recommended.
January 4, 2018
Zagreb
Naprijed, 1965.
Preveo Bruno Ljubez
Izašlo unutar korica "Njemački pripovjedači 19. stoljeća".
Radi se o noveli.
Narator je sveznajući, baca sve u trećem licu.
Ovo djelo je amblematski sjaj koji potvrđuje da ne postoji jača svjetlost od svjetlosti romantizma. Romantizam je bio vrhunac ljudskog stvaralaštva. Nakon takve poetike možemo se svi skupa baciti kroz prozor. Ili možemo početi čitati djela romantizma. Ja čak i predlažem i da živimo romantizam!
Jezik je izrazito atmosferičan te živopisan. Tekst čitatelja uvlači u sebe poput pijavice. Radnja se odigrava, većim dijelom, u jednoj šumi, na prevlaci. Zanimljivi su izrazi koji opisuju šumu, koji ju predočuju: bacit ću samo ovaj, jebiga, druge nisam označio: "čudnovatim tminama". Jasno je iz ovakvog opisnog izraza da je djelo smješteno uglavnom u locusu horridusu. Postkolonijalna spika oko središta i ruba, civilizacije i prirode je očigledna i slijepima. Postkolonijalna spika se vidi i iz helikoptera. Dakle, jedan vitez hrabro ulazi u šumu, kao pravi macan, iako mu svi govori da ne ide jer se u njoj događaju čudne stvari, u njoj žive neljudska i neživotinjska bića, čudovišta. Sam prolaz kroz šumu te odlazak sve dublje i dublje u šumu bacaju poveznicu sa "Srcem tame" jebačkog Conrada. Ako niste već čitali "Srce tame" odjebite s mojih osvrta! Što vi mislite da sam ja Angela Merkel da sve primam!?
Sada bacam jedan citat da steknete dojam o jezičnom stilu i kulosti samog teksta:
"Šumu ću ubrzo prokasati, tamo i ovamo, rekoh sam sebi u prijatnoj veselosti i prije nego sam i pomislio, nađoh se duboko među zelenim sjenkama i nisam više ništa zamjećivao od one ravnice što je ostala iza mene. Tek mi tada pade na um da bih u ovoj golemoj šumi mogao sasvim zalutati i da je to možda jedina opasnost koja ovdje prijeti putniku. Stoga zastadoh i obazreh se za suncem koje je međutim podobro bilo odskočilo. Kako podigoh oči, ugledah neku crnu priliku u granju visokog hrasta. Već sam pomislio da je medvjed te posegoh za svojim mačem; tada mi odozgo reče ljudski glas, ali surovo i gadno:- Kad ovdje gore ne bih naglodao granja, na čemu bismo te o ponoći ispekli, gospodine sveznalico?- I pri tome se naceri i zašušta granama da mi se konj uplaši i projuri prije nego što sam uhvatio vremena da vidim kakva je to zapravo vražja zvjerka."
Prilog "podobro" je baš oldskul. Ta sjenka koju pripovjedač ugleda u krošnji podsjeća na stvorove doktora Moreaua, zar ne? Bar je mene podsjetila.
Radnja se fokusira na ljubav između čovjeka (ovog viteza) i jedne vodene vile (koliko god zvuči bljutavo i ogavno izlizano, vjerujte nije). Dakle, ovo je romantičarska fantastična novela. Takve stvari me drže potentnim!
Sada ću baciti jedan citat u kojem vila Undina otkriva vitezu tko je ona zapravo te da ljudi dijele ovaj svijet s drugim entitetima:
"Treba da znaš, moj slatki dragane, da u elementima ima bića koja izgledaju skoro kao vi, a ipak ih vi samo rijetko viđate. U ognju se svjetlucaju i igraju čudesni salamandri, duboko u zemlji obitavaju suhi, podmukli patuljci, šumom krstare šumski ljudi koji pripadaju zraku, a u jezerima i bujicama i potocima žive rasprostranjeni rod vodenih duhova. Lijepo je živjeti pod zvučnim kristalnim svodovima u koje proviruje nebo sa suncem i zvijezdama; visoko koraljno drveće s plavim i crvenim plodovima sija u vrtovima; staze vode preko čistog morskog pijeska i preko lijepih šarenih školjki, i šta je stari svijet imao lijepoga, to današnji nije više dostupan da mu se raduje, to prekrivaju vode sa svojim tajnim srebrenim vrelima, i dolje sada blješte prekrasni spomenici, visoki i ozbiljni i ljupko orošeni vodama koje ih obavijaju s ljubavlju, i iz njih mame cvatove mahovine i vijence ševara. A oni što ondje stanuju, ljubazni su i mili, većinom ljepši od ljudi. Ponekog je ribara zapalo da oslušne vodenu vilu kako se izvija na valovima i kako pjeva."
Suživot ljudi i drugih oblika života (izuzev životinja i ostale ekipe iz biologije), podsjeća na Icea. Druga stvar što je on budala i egotriper. Ovom prilikom bih ipak bacio jednog lika, zanimljivog i jedinstvenog, on govori o tim nekim spiritualnim šemama: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvnn....
Kasnije u radnji nastaje ljubavni trokut koji za sve kuteve završava tragično. Tragični i negativni kraj je pravi narativni zgoditak. Kroz cijelu novelu se isprepleću svijetovi ljudi i vodenih bića. Javlja se i Undinin čale, kralj vodenjaka; Studenac. Opisuje se kao bijela visoka spodoba.
Pročitajte! Pročitajte! Pročitajte!
Pročitajte!
Naprijed, 1965.
Preveo Bruno Ljubez
Izašlo unutar korica "Njemački pripovjedači 19. stoljeća".
Radi se o noveli.
Narator je sveznajući, baca sve u trećem licu.
Ovo djelo je amblematski sjaj koji potvrđuje da ne postoji jača svjetlost od svjetlosti romantizma. Romantizam je bio vrhunac ljudskog stvaralaštva. Nakon takve poetike možemo se svi skupa baciti kroz prozor. Ili možemo početi čitati djela romantizma. Ja čak i predlažem i da živimo romantizam!
Jezik je izrazito atmosferičan te živopisan. Tekst čitatelja uvlači u sebe poput pijavice. Radnja se odigrava, većim dijelom, u jednoj šumi, na prevlaci. Zanimljivi su izrazi koji opisuju šumu, koji ju predočuju: bacit ću samo ovaj, jebiga, druge nisam označio: "čudnovatim tminama". Jasno je iz ovakvog opisnog izraza da je djelo smješteno uglavnom u locusu horridusu. Postkolonijalna spika oko središta i ruba, civilizacije i prirode je očigledna i slijepima. Postkolonijalna spika se vidi i iz helikoptera. Dakle, jedan vitez hrabro ulazi u šumu, kao pravi macan, iako mu svi govori da ne ide jer se u njoj događaju čudne stvari, u njoj žive neljudska i neživotinjska bića, čudovišta. Sam prolaz kroz šumu te odlazak sve dublje i dublje u šumu bacaju poveznicu sa "Srcem tame" jebačkog Conrada. Ako niste već čitali "Srce tame" odjebite s mojih osvrta! Što vi mislite da sam ja Angela Merkel da sve primam!?
Sada bacam jedan citat da steknete dojam o jezičnom stilu i kulosti samog teksta:
"Šumu ću ubrzo prokasati, tamo i ovamo, rekoh sam sebi u prijatnoj veselosti i prije nego sam i pomislio, nađoh se duboko među zelenim sjenkama i nisam više ništa zamjećivao od one ravnice što je ostala iza mene. Tek mi tada pade na um da bih u ovoj golemoj šumi mogao sasvim zalutati i da je to možda jedina opasnost koja ovdje prijeti putniku. Stoga zastadoh i obazreh se za suncem koje je međutim podobro bilo odskočilo. Kako podigoh oči, ugledah neku crnu priliku u granju visokog hrasta. Već sam pomislio da je medvjed te posegoh za svojim mačem; tada mi odozgo reče ljudski glas, ali surovo i gadno:- Kad ovdje gore ne bih naglodao granja, na čemu bismo te o ponoći ispekli, gospodine sveznalico?- I pri tome se naceri i zašušta granama da mi se konj uplaši i projuri prije nego što sam uhvatio vremena da vidim kakva je to zapravo vražja zvjerka."
Prilog "podobro" je baš oldskul. Ta sjenka koju pripovjedač ugleda u krošnji podsjeća na stvorove doktora Moreaua, zar ne? Bar je mene podsjetila.
Radnja se fokusira na ljubav između čovjeka (ovog viteza) i jedne vodene vile (koliko god zvuči bljutavo i ogavno izlizano, vjerujte nije). Dakle, ovo je romantičarska fantastična novela. Takve stvari me drže potentnim!
Sada ću baciti jedan citat u kojem vila Undina otkriva vitezu tko je ona zapravo te da ljudi dijele ovaj svijet s drugim entitetima:
"Treba da znaš, moj slatki dragane, da u elementima ima bića koja izgledaju skoro kao vi, a ipak ih vi samo rijetko viđate. U ognju se svjetlucaju i igraju čudesni salamandri, duboko u zemlji obitavaju suhi, podmukli patuljci, šumom krstare šumski ljudi koji pripadaju zraku, a u jezerima i bujicama i potocima žive rasprostranjeni rod vodenih duhova. Lijepo je živjeti pod zvučnim kristalnim svodovima u koje proviruje nebo sa suncem i zvijezdama; visoko koraljno drveće s plavim i crvenim plodovima sija u vrtovima; staze vode preko čistog morskog pijeska i preko lijepih šarenih školjki, i šta je stari svijet imao lijepoga, to današnji nije više dostupan da mu se raduje, to prekrivaju vode sa svojim tajnim srebrenim vrelima, i dolje sada blješte prekrasni spomenici, visoki i ozbiljni i ljupko orošeni vodama koje ih obavijaju s ljubavlju, i iz njih mame cvatove mahovine i vijence ševara. A oni što ondje stanuju, ljubazni su i mili, većinom ljepši od ljudi. Ponekog je ribara zapalo da oslušne vodenu vilu kako se izvija na valovima i kako pjeva."
Suživot ljudi i drugih oblika života (izuzev životinja i ostale ekipe iz biologije), podsjeća na Icea. Druga stvar što je on budala i egotriper. Ovom prilikom bih ipak bacio jednog lika, zanimljivog i jedinstvenog, on govori o tim nekim spiritualnim šemama: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvnn....
Kasnije u radnji nastaje ljubavni trokut koji za sve kuteve završava tragično. Tragični i negativni kraj je pravi narativni zgoditak. Kroz cijelu novelu se isprepleću svijetovi ljudi i vodenih bića. Javlja se i Undinin čale, kralj vodenjaka; Studenac. Opisuje se kao bijela visoka spodoba.
Pročitajte! Pročitajte! Pročitajte!
Pročitajte!
January 1, 2021
A beautiful fairytale of how a whimsical maiden without soul found soul after she fell in love with a knight. It is more than just a love story.
August 12, 2016
Ein wundersames sinnliches Märchen, das den dafür empfänglichen Leser mit einer melancholischen schönen Wassernymphe namens Undine bezaubert und ihn in eine Sprachwelt voller Poesie und romantischer Bilder entführt. Der Erzählrhythmus ist ganz nach dem Wesen des Wassers, das uns durch die gesamte Geschichte trägt: leise fließend bis kraftvoll rauschend oder gar tosend über die Ufer brechend.
Die Handlung fesselte mich von Anbeginn durch die Einführung des Ritters auf seinen weißen Hengst, der durch den geheimnisvollen Wald reitet, durch den sich niemand traut, weil er von Geistern und anderen Spukgestalten behaust sein soll. Besser lassen sich eine stürmische unwegsame Nacht und die Erleichterung, endlich eine warmes Obdach in einer ärmlichen Fischerhütte gefunden zu haben, nicht beschreiben. Dem nicht genug rauscht durch die düstere mittelalterliche Szenerie regelmäßig die blonde schillernde und bald gar liebliche Undine hinein. Ein herrlicher Kontrast! - Fouqué ist mit seiner Erzählung ein zauberhaftes Werk gelungen, das mich mit seiner poetischen Sprachgewalt verführt und mitgerissen hat.
Die Handlung fesselte mich von Anbeginn durch die Einführung des Ritters auf seinen weißen Hengst, der durch den geheimnisvollen Wald reitet, durch den sich niemand traut, weil er von Geistern und anderen Spukgestalten behaust sein soll. Besser lassen sich eine stürmische unwegsame Nacht und die Erleichterung, endlich eine warmes Obdach in einer ärmlichen Fischerhütte gefunden zu haben, nicht beschreiben. Dem nicht genug rauscht durch die düstere mittelalterliche Szenerie regelmäßig die blonde schillernde und bald gar liebliche Undine hinein. Ein herrlicher Kontrast! - Fouqué ist mit seiner Erzählung ein zauberhaftes Werk gelungen, das mich mit seiner poetischen Sprachgewalt verführt und mitgerissen hat.
July 29, 2014
So this is the tale that launched a thousand mermaid stories.
If you can launch a mermaid story, that is.
Now, it is an old story – you know before women were considered fully fledged members of the human race and stuff.
In some ways, it is rather sympathetic to the two women – one a water spirit, the other a human woman – both of whom love the same man – who is a wishy washy jerk.
It is the human woman who elicits more reaction and sympathy. Her life is turned upside down and she is condemned for not being good enough while the water spirit, Undine, is the perfect daughter. Honestly, at a few points a good smack was what Undine deserved.
Yup, it is one of those types of tales.
It is magical in the sense of wonder and description. It is very much a medieval romance. But it lacks the power of the work of Marie de France and the magic of other sea folk tales.
Crossposted at booklikes.
December 11, 2020
Undine is not a mermaid or a selkie but a water-spirit, and a gorgeous teenage one at that. She falls in love with a knight who's already spoken for, but her iron-clad will (she's Deutsche, after all) won't take no for an answer. When she marries the knight and moves in to his castle, she has to fight off both mortal (the fiancée) and extraordinary (her uncle, an evil water spirit) forces.
Undine is a parable about what happens when extraordinary people fall for average folks and the impossibility of it being a good match. Her beauty and powers are definitely out of the knight's league, but the heart wants what it wants, even if the brain knows better. Many of us broken-hearted lovers know what it's like casting our pearls before swine, don't we?
By the way, this would make an outstanding Japanese horror love story, like Kuroneko. I kept seeing Japanese, not German, characters all through this book.
Undine is a parable about what happens when extraordinary people fall for average folks and the impossibility of it being a good match. Her beauty and powers are definitely out of the knight's league, but the heart wants what it wants, even if the brain knows better. Many of us broken-hearted lovers know what it's like casting our pearls before swine, don't we?
By the way, this would make an outstanding Japanese horror love story, like Kuroneko. I kept seeing Japanese, not German, characters all through this book.
August 8, 2020
Ondina è un libretto delizioso, scritto in uno stile scorrevole come le acque che tanta importanza hanno nella storia, in apparenza ingenua e spontanea, in realtà sintesi felice di fiaba popolare (Volksmärchen) e di fiaba artistica (Kunstmärchen).
Toccante la tragedia della ninfa che vuole un’anima perché di lei resti qualcosa dopo la morte e scopre che essere umani significa essere preda delle passioni e quindi dell’infelicità.
Toccante la tragedia della ninfa che vuole un’anima perché di lei resti qualcosa dopo la morte e scopre che essere umani significa essere preda delle passioni e quindi dell’infelicità.
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