The Elementary Spirit Fantasy And Horror Classics

‘The Elementary Spirit‘ (1844) was written by the German Romantic author E. T. A. Hoffmann, most famous for his novella ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King’ (1816) which inspired Tchaikovsky’s ‘The Nutcracker’. When Prussian lieutenant, colonel Albert von B. rides from Liège to Aachen, a chance encounter with Paul Talkebarth leads him to a mysterious country house where his best friend lies ill. But not everything or everyone are as they seem, and beset by strange dreams and apparitions, Albert is faced with a battle for his soul. ‘The Elementary Spirit’ is from Hoffmann’s ‘Later Works’. This classic short story is perfect for fans of horror and fantasy fiction and the authors H. P. Lovecraft and Neil Gaiman. Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann (1776-1822), better known as E. T. A. Hoffmann, was a German Romantic author of fantasy and gothic horror. He was also a composer, music critic, draftsman and caricaturist. Hoffmann's stories inspired several famous operatic composers, including Richard Wagner, Jacques Offenbach and Léo Delibes. He is also the author of the novella ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King’, on which Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet, ‘The Nutcracker’ is based. The story also inspired the film ‘The Nutcracker and the Four Realms’ (2018), starring Keira Knightley, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren.

This early work by E. T. A. Hoffmann was originally published in 1821. Born in Königsberg, East Prussia in 1776, 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. 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.") Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900's and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions.

This carefully edited collection has been designed and formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. Table of Contents: Arthur Machen (1863-1947) was a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. His novella The Great God Pan has garnered a reputation as a classic of horror (Stephen King has called it "The best horror story in the English language"). Historian of fantastic literature Brian Stableford has suggested that Machen "was the first writer of authentically modern horror stories, and his best works must still be reckoned among the finest products of the genre". Table of Contents: Novels: The Three Impostors The Hill of Dreams The Terror: A Mystery The Secret Glory Short Stories and Novellas: A Fragment of Life The White People The Great God Pan The Inmost Light The Shining Pyramid The Red Hand The Angels of Mons: The Bowmen and Other Legends of the War: The Bowmen The Soldiers' Rest The Monstrance The Dazzling Light The Bowmen And Other Noble Ghosts Change The Children of the Pool The Bright Boy The Tree of Life Opening the Door The Marriage of Panurge The Holy Things Psychology The Turanians The Rose Garden The Ceremony The Happy Children The Cosy Room Munitions of War The Great Return A New Christmas Carol The Islington Mystery Out of the Earth Essays: Hieroglyphics Dog and Duck Dreads and Dolls Translation: The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798 Autobiography: Far Off Things Criticism: Arthur Machen: A Novelist of Ecstasy and Sin (With Two Uncollected Poems by Arthur Machen)

No literature can produce a more original writer than Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann (1776 1822), a German Romantic author of fantasy and horror, better known by his pen name E. T. A. Hoffmann (Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann). His works are very numerous and were published at Berlin in fifteen volumes. He is the subject and hero of Jacques Offenbach's famous but fictional opera The Tales of Hoffmann.---Of the two tales in this book, "The Sandman" is from the collection "Night Pieces," and The Elementary Spirit is from his "Later Works." In these stories, Hoffmann's purpose is to point out the ill-effect of a morbid desire after an imaginary world, and a distaste for realities. Different as their adventures are, there is a striking similarity in the characters of Nathaniel (in "The Sandman") and Victor (in "The Elementary Spirit"). However wild may be the subjects of Hoffmann, and however rambling his method of treating them, his style is remarkably lucid.---The story of the Sandman had its origin in a discussion which actually took place between La Motte Fouque (a German writer of the romantic movement, 1777 1843) and some friends, at which Hoffmann was present. Some of the party found fault with the cold, mechanical deportment of a young lady of their acquaintance, while La Motte Fouque zealously defended her. Here Hoffmann caught the notion of the automaton Olympia, and the arguments used by Nathaniel are those that were employed by La Motte Fouque."

This carefully edited collection has been designed and formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. Table of Contents: Arthur Machen (1863-1947) was a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. His novella The Great God Pan has garnered a reputation as a classic of horror (Stephen King has called it "The best horror story in the English language"). Historian of fantastic literature Brian Stableford has suggested that Machen "was the first writer of authentically modern horror stories, and his best works must still be reckoned among the finest products of the genre". Table of Contents: Novels: The Three Impostors The Hill of Dreams The Terror: A Mystery The Secret Glory Short Stories and Novellas: A Fragment of Life The White People The Great God Pan The Inmost Light The Shining Pyramid The Red Hand The Angels of Mons: The Bowmen and Other Legends of the War: The Bowmen The Soldiers' Rest The Monstrance The Dazzling Light The Bowmen And Other Noble Ghosts Change The Children of the Pool The Bright Boy The Tree of Life Opening the Door The Marriage of Panurge The Holy Things Psychology The Turanians The Rose Garden The Ceremony The Happy Children The Cosy Room Munitions of War The Great Return A New Christmas Carol The Islington Mystery Out of the Earth Essays: Hieroglyphics Dog and Duck Dreads and Dolls Translation: The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798 Autobiography: Far Off Things Criticism: Arthur Machen: A Novelist of Ecstasy and Sin (With Two Uncollected Poems by Arthur Machen)

This carefully crafted ebook: “ARTHUR MACHEN Ultimate Collection: Dark Fantasy Classics, Supernatural Tales & Horror Stories (Including Essays, Translations & Autobiography)” is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. Arthur Machen (1863-1947) was a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. His novella The Great God Pan has garnered a reputation as a classic of horror (Stephen King has called it "Maybe the best [horror story] in the English language"). Historian of fantastic literature Brian Stableford has suggested that Machen "was the first writer of authentically modern horror stories, and his best works must still be reckoned among the finest products of the genre". Table of Contents: Novels: The Three Impostors The Hill of Dreams The Terror: A Mystery The Secret Glory Short Stories and Novellas: A Fragment of Life The White People The Great God Pan The Inmost Light The Shining Pyramid The Red Hand The Bowmen The Soldiers' Rest The Monstrance The Dazzling Light The Bowmen And Other Noble Ghosts The Marriage of Panurge Psychology The Rose Garden The Ceremony The Happy Children The Great Return A New Christmas Carol Out of the Earth Essay: Hieroglyphics Translation: The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798 Autobiography: Far Off Things Criticism: Arthur Machen: A Novelist of Ecstasy and Sin (With Two Uncollected Poems by Arthur Machen)

This carefully crafted ebook: "ARTHUR MACHEN Ultimate Collection: Dark Fantasy Classics, Supernatural Tales & Horror Stories (Including Essays, Translations & Autobiography)" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. Arthur Machen (1863-1947) was a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. His novella The Great God Pan has garnered a reputation as a classic of horror (Stephen King has called it "Maybe the best [horror story] in the English language"). Historian of fantastic literature Brian Stableford has suggested that Machen "was the first writer of authentically modern horror stories, and his best works must still be reckoned among the finest products of the genre". Table of Contents: Novels: The Three Impostors The Hill of Dreams The Terror: A Mystery The Secret Glory Short Stories and Novellas: A Fragment of Life The White People The Great God Pan The Inmost Light The Shining Pyramid The Red Hand The Bowmen The Soldiers' Rest The Monstrance The Dazzling Light The Bowmen And Other Noble Ghosts The Marriage of Panurge Psychology The Rose Garden The Ceremony The Happy Children The Great Return A New Christmas Carol Out of the Earth Essay: Hieroglyphics Translation: The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798 Autobiography: Far Off Things Criticism: Arthur Machen: A Novelist of Ecstasy and Sin (With Two Uncollected Poems by Arthur Machen)