The Nutcracker and the Mouse-King

By E. T. A. Hoffmann

A children's Christmas story by E. T. A. Hoffmann, "The Nutcracker and the Mouse-King" is the magical adventure of Marie Stahlbaum’s favourite toy, the Nutcracker, who battles the nefarious Mouse-King in battle and takes the reader on a wonderful adventure, into a magical land of dolls. Probably Hoffman's most well-known story, produced in 1816, due to the fact that - some seventy-six years later - it inspired Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Nutcracker". A true Christmas classic, perfect for festive bedtime reading for adults and children a-like. Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann (1776 - 1822) was born in Königsberg, East Prussia. Hoffmann's family were all jurists, and during his youth he was initially encouraged to pursue a career in law. However, in his late teens Hoffman became increasingly interested in literature and philosophy, and spent much of his time reading German classicists and attending lectures by, amongst others, Immanuel Kant. Hoffman went on to produce a great range of both literary and musical works.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read & Co. Children's
• Release date: Nov 6, 2020
• ISBN: 9781528791823

Book preview

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THE

NUTCRACKER

and the

MOUSE-KING

By

E. T. A. HOFFMANN

First published in 1816

Copyright © 2020 Read & Co. Children's

This edition is published by Read & Co. Children's,

an imprint of Read & Co.

This book is copyright and may not be reproduced or copied in any

way without the express permission of the publisher in writing.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available

from the British Library.

Read & Co. is part of Read Books Ltd.

For more information visit

www.readandcobooks.co.uk

Contents

E. T. A. Hoffman

CHAPTER I

CHRISTMAS EVE

CHAPTER II

THE GIFTS

CHAPTER III

THE FAVORITE

CHAPTER IV

WONDERS UPON WONDERS

CHAPTER V

THE BATTLE

CHAPTER VI

THE SICKNESS

CHAPTER VII

THE STORY OF THE HARD NUT

CHAPTER VIII

THE STORY OF THE HARD NUT CONTINUED

CHAPTER IX

CONCLUSION OF THE STORY OF THE HARD NUT

CHAPTER X

THE UNCLE AND NEPHEW

CHAPTER XI

THE VICTORY

CHAPTER XII

THE PUPPET KINGDOM

CHAPTER XIII

THE CAPITAL

CHAPTER XIV

THE CONCLUSION

Illustrations

The Nut-Cracker

Story of the Hard Nut

The Disenchantment of the Princess

Nut-Cracker Proclaims His Victory Over Mouse-King

E. T. A. Hoffman

Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann was born in Königsberg, East Prussia in 1776. His family were all jurists, and during his youth he was initially encouraged to pursue a career in law. However, in his late teens Hoffman became increasingly interested in literature and philosophy, and spent much of his time reading German classicists and attending lectures by, amongst others, Immanuel Kant.

In was in his twenties, upon moving with his uncle to Berlin, that Hoffman first began to promote himself as a composer, writing an operetta called Die Maske and entering a number of playwriting competitions. Hoffman struggled to establish himself anywhere for a while, flitting between a number of cities and dodging the attentions of Napoleon's occupying troops. In 1808, while living in Bamberg, he began his job as a theatre manager and a music critic, and Hoffman's break came a year later, with the publication of Ritter Gluck. The story centred on a man who meets, or thinks he has met, a long-dead composer, and played into the 'doppelgänger' theme – at that time very popular in literature. It was shortly after this that Hoffman began to use the pseudonym E. T. A. Hoffmann, declaring the 'A' to stand for 'Amadeus', as a tribute to the great composer, Mozart.

Over the next decade, while moving between Dresden, Leipzig and Berlin, Hoffman produced a great range of both literary and musical works. Probably Hoffman's most well-known story, produced in 1816, is The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, due to the fact that – some seventy-six years later - it inspired Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker.

In the same vein, his story The Sandman provided both the inspiration for Léo Delibes's ballet Coppélia, and the basis for a highly influential essay by Sigmund Freud, called The Uncanny. (Indeed, Freud referred to Hoffman as the unrivalled master of the uncanny in literature.)

Alcohol abuse and syphilis eventually took a great toll on Hoffman though, and – having spent the last year of his life paralysed – he died in Berlin in 1822, aged just 46. His legacy is a powerful one, however: He is seen as a pioneer of both Romanticism and fantasy literature, and his novella, Mademoiselle de Scudéri: A Tale from the Times of Louis XIV is often cited as the first ever detective story.

THE NUTCRACKER

AND THE MOUSE-KING

CHAPTER I

CHRISTMAS EVE

During the long, long day of the twenty-fourth of December, the children of Doctor Stahlbaum were not permitted to enter the parlor, much less the adjoining drawing-room. Frederic and Maria sat nestled together in a corner of the back chamber; dusky twilight had come on, and they felt quite gloomy and fearful, for, as was commonly the case on this day, no light was brought in to them. Fred, in great secrecy, and in a whisper, informed his little sister (she was only just seven years old), that ever since morning be had heard a rustling and a rattling, and now and then a gentle knocking, in the forbidden chambers. Not long ago also he had seen a little dark man, with a large chest under his arm, gliding softly through the entry, but he knew very well that it was nobody but Godfather Drosselmeier. Upon this Maria clapped her little hands together for joy, and exclaimed, Ah, what beautiful things has Godfather Drosselmeier made for us this time!

Counsellor Drosselmeier was not a very handsome man; he was small and thin, had many wrinkles in his face, over his right eye he had a large black patch, and he was without hair, for which reason he wore a very nice white wig; this was made of glass however, and was a very ingenious piece of work. The Godfather himself was very ingenious also, he understood all about clocks and watches, and could even make them. Accordingly, when any one of the beautiful clocks in Doctor Stahlbaum's house was sick, and could not sing, Godfather Drosselmeier would have to attend it. He would then take off his glass wig, pull off his brown coat, put on a blue apron, and pierce the clock with sharp-pointed instruments, which usually caused little Maria a great deal of anxiety. But it did the clock no harm; on the contrary, it became quite lively again, and began at once right merrily to rattle, and to strike, and to sing, so that it was a pleasure to all who heard it. Whenever he came, he always brought something pretty in his pocket for the children, sometimes a little man who moved his eyes and made a bow, at others, a box, from which a little bird hopped out when it was opened—sometimes one thing, sometimes another.

When Christmas Eve came, he had always a beautiful piece of work prepared for them, which had cost him a great deal of trouble, and on this account it was always carefully preserved by their parents, after he had given it to them. Ah, what beautiful present has Godfather Drosselmeier made for us this time! exclaimed Maria. It was Fred's opinion that this time it could be nothing else than a castle, in which all kinds of fine soldiers marched up and down and went through their exercises; then other soldiers would come, and try to break into the castle, but the soldiers within would fire off their cannon very bravely, until all roared