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Till Eulenspiegel: His Adventures
Till Eulenspiegel is the most famous German folk hero, a roving jester whose exploits, translated into dozens of languages, and influencing composers such as Richard Strauss, have fascinated and delighted millions for nearly five hundred years. This is the first translation of the earliest
known complete edition of 1515, with interpolations from previous fragments. Its introduction recreates the historical context of the tales, while exploring their meanings and considering the controversial question of their authorship.
This edition also includes the entire set of sixteenth-century woodcuts, which perfectly illustrate Till Eulenspiegel 's piercing and bawdy wit.
known complete edition of 1515, with interpolations from previous fragments. Its introduction recreates the historical context of the tales, while exploring their meanings and considering the controversial question of their authorship.
This edition also includes the entire set of sixteenth-century woodcuts, which perfectly illustrate Till Eulenspiegel 's piercing and bawdy wit.
248 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1510
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 25, 2021
While many if not even most Germans are likely at least familiar with the folk hero (jester, trickster) figure of Till Eulenspiegel (and might even have read some of the sanitised, more child friendly versions, penned by say, Erich Kästner), most (unless versed in 15th century satire and folk literature or having taken courses on such at university) will probably not be as familiar with Hermann Bote's original (that is to say if Till Euelenspiegel was, indeed, penned by Hermann Bote, as the question of his likely authorship has actually, the claims in Siegfried H. Sichtermann's otherwise excellent and informative introduction notwistanding, not been at least to and for me personally, sufficiently proven).
But that all being said, I also tend to find that with literature that has been published anonymously, there is often and generally much too much emphasis placed on discovering the author, sometimes even to the point of ignoring the text and perhaps also the reasons why a book might have been published anonymously. And with Till Eulenspiegel, much of the reasons for authorial anonymity could easily have been to avoid personal legal consequences for the author, as the featured anecdotes are often more than a bit politically incorrect and feature merciless critiques of not only society as a whole, but also and especially the high and mighty, the crowned heads of Europe (not to mention that so called folk literature and fool's literature, that the "Narrenliteratur" of the 15th and 16th century was often traditionally published sans author, and thus Till Eulenspiegel is also perhaps simply following the standard literary traditions of the time and of the genre).
Now the ninety-six featured Till Eulenspeigel anecdotes (which have been rendered from early modern into the standard German of the 20th and 21st century by compiler and editor Siegfried H. Sichtermann) feature first and foremost a raucous, satirical and often intensely and even at times viciously critical mirror of and for the contemporary society of the 15th and 16th century (although and indeed fortunately, many of the areas of criticism are not time specific but timeless, and thus, in many ways, Till Eulenspiegel criticises the entire world, both then and now). And while Till Eulenspiegel himself as the often wise fool, the knowledgable and relentlessly critical jester and trickster does hold with and by his actions a mirror (a Spiegel) that reflects and demonstrates basic human and societal foolishness and foibles, he is also himself not in any way perfect and makes his own set of mistakes and often acts both strangely and actually rather and quite disgustingly (which is why, even though I have always adored Till Eulenspiegl as a work, as an example of 15th century German, European satire, I only recommend this book with the caveat that much of the humour is harsh, at times violent, and often intensely scatological, with the main character regularly deliberately farting into people's faces, throwing excrement and in one supremely disgusting episode eating a large mound of his own steaming faeces in order to simply win a bet). So while I would actually not consider Till Eulenspiegel as inappropriate for older children above the ages of ten or so (and let's face it, anal and scatological humour seems to often be more popular with children than with adults anyhow), and even though the featured anecdotes are short and generally easy to understand and read (albeit that a decent level of fluency in German is of course a necessity), some of the more nuanced and pointed humour and the historical specifics might well be above and beyond many even older children and teenagers (which is also why the stories of Till Eulenspiegel have been repeatedly rendered into more child and youth friendly versions, which are definitely entertaining enough, but for me and for all intents and purposes rather pale and pretty well lifeless compared to the original).
And yes, and delightfully, appreciatively, the ninety-six Eulenspiegel anecdotes (which basically begin with the Till’s birth and end with his death and how he was buried) are followed by a detailed academic commentary, further supplemental information and details, as well as both an extensive bibliography and a detailed name and subject index, making this edition of Till Eulenspiegel, making Siegfried H. Sichtermann's compilation not only a pleasure and a fun (but also thought provoking and enlightening) joy to read, to peruse, to savour, but also an in all ways academic treasure, a perfect starting point for further academic research (I used my personal copy for a term paper on Till Eulenspiegel as a literary figure at university, and especially the introduction and the bibliography proved indispensable, not to mention that it was much easier and considerably less of a struggle to be able to read the episodes in modern German, as early modern German, while definitely not as difficult as Old High German and Middle High German, is still considerably different in both style and form from modern standard German, from the German spoken and written in the 20th and 21st centuries).
But that all being said, I also tend to find that with literature that has been published anonymously, there is often and generally much too much emphasis placed on discovering the author, sometimes even to the point of ignoring the text and perhaps also the reasons why a book might have been published anonymously. And with Till Eulenspiegel, much of the reasons for authorial anonymity could easily have been to avoid personal legal consequences for the author, as the featured anecdotes are often more than a bit politically incorrect and feature merciless critiques of not only society as a whole, but also and especially the high and mighty, the crowned heads of Europe (not to mention that so called folk literature and fool's literature, that the "Narrenliteratur" of the 15th and 16th century was often traditionally published sans author, and thus Till Eulenspiegel is also perhaps simply following the standard literary traditions of the time and of the genre).
Now the ninety-six featured Till Eulenspeigel anecdotes (which have been rendered from early modern into the standard German of the 20th and 21st century by compiler and editor Siegfried H. Sichtermann) feature first and foremost a raucous, satirical and often intensely and even at times viciously critical mirror of and for the contemporary society of the 15th and 16th century (although and indeed fortunately, many of the areas of criticism are not time specific but timeless, and thus, in many ways, Till Eulenspiegel criticises the entire world, both then and now). And while Till Eulenspiegel himself as the often wise fool, the knowledgable and relentlessly critical jester and trickster does hold with and by his actions a mirror (a Spiegel) that reflects and demonstrates basic human and societal foolishness and foibles, he is also himself not in any way perfect and makes his own set of mistakes and often acts both strangely and actually rather and quite disgustingly (which is why, even though I have always adored Till Eulenspiegl as a work, as an example of 15th century German, European satire, I only recommend this book with the caveat that much of the humour is harsh, at times violent, and often intensely scatological, with the main character regularly deliberately farting into people's faces, throwing excrement and in one supremely disgusting episode eating a large mound of his own steaming faeces in order to simply win a bet). So while I would actually not consider Till Eulenspiegel as inappropriate for older children above the ages of ten or so (and let's face it, anal and scatological humour seems to often be more popular with children than with adults anyhow), and even though the featured anecdotes are short and generally easy to understand and read (albeit that a decent level of fluency in German is of course a necessity), some of the more nuanced and pointed humour and the historical specifics might well be above and beyond many even older children and teenagers (which is also why the stories of Till Eulenspiegel have been repeatedly rendered into more child and youth friendly versions, which are definitely entertaining enough, but for me and for all intents and purposes rather pale and pretty well lifeless compared to the original).
And yes, and delightfully, appreciatively, the ninety-six Eulenspiegel anecdotes (which basically begin with the Till’s birth and end with his death and how he was buried) are followed by a detailed academic commentary, further supplemental information and details, as well as both an extensive bibliography and a detailed name and subject index, making this edition of Till Eulenspiegel, making Siegfried H. Sichtermann's compilation not only a pleasure and a fun (but also thought provoking and enlightening) joy to read, to peruse, to savour, but also an in all ways academic treasure, a perfect starting point for further academic research (I used my personal copy for a term paper on Till Eulenspiegel as a literary figure at university, and especially the introduction and the bibliography proved indispensable, not to mention that it was much easier and considerably less of a struggle to be able to read the episodes in modern German, as early modern German, while definitely not as difficult as Old High German and Middle High German, is still considerably different in both style and form from modern standard German, from the German spoken and written in the 20th and 21st centuries).
February 22, 2017
Everyone in Germany knows Till Eulenspiegel. At least the name is familiar, as it became the source of the word Eulenspiegelei (that’s Eu·len·spie·ge·lei, not Eu·len·spie·gel·ei which is something entirely different). Probably not many people have read the original Eulenspiegel though, the one allegedly written by Herman Bote and published in 1510 under the title Ein kurtzweilig lesen von Dyl Vlenspiegel geboren vß dem land zů Brunßwick. Wie er sein leben volbracht hatt .xcvi. seiner geschichten. There are numerous rewrites and adaptions of Eulenspiegel in the 500 years that followed. The Eulenspiegel character has become rather famous. The “spirit” of the original Eulenspiegel was becoming more and more diluted, the original earthy prankster some sort of a sympathetic rascal. The most improper pranks have been left out or became unrecognizable. Back in the 16th century people thought quite differently about the coarseness of practical jokes. Many of us would wrinkle their nose today, but the people at Hermann Bote’s time heartily laughed about Eulenspiegel. The original “chapbook” became a big success and a world’s bestseller. Even in the 16th century translations into many languages were made, which was quite remarkable. The Till Eulenspiegel in this book was born in the year 1300 and died in 1350, and we learn about his life in between in 96 small “histories”. I guess writing about and inventing stories of a character who lived 200+ years prior to the readers’ time makes this book historical fiction?
Beginning with the second story (the first one is about his baptism) we realize the rogue character in Till when, as a three-year-old, he’s sitting behind his father on a horse and shows his naked ass to the passersby, or, as it says in the heading to this chapter, “vnd stilschweigen die lüt hinden zů in arß ließ sehen”.
But sometimes Eulenspiegel finds himself on the receiving end of a prank. Whenever that’s the case he’s brewing mischief, and in the next story it’s time for him to pay back, usually in a worse way than what was done to him. In most cases the people who suffer from Eulenspiegel are immoral in one way or another, which he usually immediately recognizes. Sometimes, however, also irreproachable and harmless people are targets to his pranks; animals too. In other cases Till actually helps the deprived with his pranks. He is quite a complex figure.
After leaving his mother’s house at the age of 16 he roams about and never stays at a single place for long. He doesn’t have any training or qualification, so his wit has to help him, and over the years his reputation precedes him. He meets people from all walks of life: aristocrats, clerics, craftsmen, peasants, landlords, even the pope in Rome at one time. No one is safe from his “jokes”.
Often, the joke of the story is rinsing from the fact that Eulenspiegel takes instructions given to him literally. For example, at one time he is supposed to grease a carriage. But instead of only the axles, he lubricates the whole car, inside and outside, and in particular the benches. Another time he bets with a priest for a ton of beer that the priest would not defecate in the middle of the church. After the priest laid his “parcel”, and thinks he has won the bet, Eulenspiegel takes measure and indeed: there’s a whole quarter missing from the “center” of the church. This kind of “skatological jokes” are found quite often in the book. I myself can not laugh about too much, but for the sixteenth century readers such stories were obviously very funny.
This and other statements about the time back then can be found in the extensive notes of the 1978 edition edited by Siegfried Sichermann, which I have read. In the end, it were these comments and footnotes that led to my high rating. There’s also an interesting foreword in which the history and authorship of the book is discussed. The stories themselves, even if some have really good satirical elements, did not inspire me much. They are just too short and plain for my taste. Another reason why I picked this specific edition was that it is written in high German. The original text I can read just barely and it would take too much effort.
I am glad to have finally read this famous book. I wonder which of the books published today will still be read in 500 years. Not many, I suppose.
__________
Die .LXXXI histori sagt wie vlenspiegel zů Rostůck hinweg scheid.
MIt ernst reißt Vlenspiegel von Rostock / als er die schalckheit gethon / vnd kam in ein flecken zu herberg vnd in dem huß was nit vil zů essen / dan da was ytel armůt vnd der wirt im hus het vil kinder vnd da bei was vlenspiegel gantz vngern. Da band vlenspiegel sein pferd in den stal / vnd gieng dahin in dz huß vnd kam zů dem feür / vnd fand einen kalten herd / vnd ein lere wonung / da verstund er wol dz nüt dan armůt was Da sprach er herwirt ir haben boeß nachburen. Der wirt sagt Ja hergast / das hab ich / sie stelen mir alls daz ich im hus hab. Da ward vlenspiegel lachen vnd gedacht hie ist der wirt als der gast / er het wolust da zebleiben sunder die kinder moecht er nit leiden / wan er sahe daz giengen / vnd thetten ir gemach hinder die hußthür / ein kind nach dem andern / da sprach Vlenspiegel zum wirt. Was seint doch euwer kinder so vnsuber / haben sie kein stat da sie moechten ir gemach thůn dan hinder die hußthür / der wirt sprach hergast was schelten ir daran. mir mißfelt nit daran / ich heiß morn hinweg. Vlenspiegel schweig darnach da er not het da scheiß er auch ein grossen huffen trecks zů dem feüer So kumpt der wirt gon die weil Vlenspiegel vber seinem werck was vnd sprach / Das dich der ritschit scheißestu zů dem feur / ist der hoff nit weit gnůg. Vlenspiegel sprach. Herwirt was schelten ir doch daran da leigt mir auch nit an ich heiß teglich hinweg / vnd saß vff sein pferd vnd zů der dür vß. Der wirt ruff im nach halt / vnd mach den treck von dem herd hinweg. Vlenspiegel sprach. Wer der letst sei / der ker das huß. so ist mein treck vnd euwer treck zů einem vßkeret.
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April 30, 2018
Ein durchs Land streunender Schalk, der alle zum Narren hält, indem er Befehle/Ratschläge etc. streng wortwörtlich ausführt - eigentlich hört sich das vielversprechend an und lässt auf zahlreiche skurrile Situationen mit kreativen Pointen hoffen. Leider ist der Großteil der "Streiche" absoluter Fäkalhumor - unser quirliger Held entlädt sich rachsüchtig in Schubläden, Dachrinnen, Hinterhöfen oder verfeinert so auch Gerichte/Getränke unbescholtener Mitbürger und macht sich dann aus dem Staub. Das ist zwar nicht immer unlustig [z.B. behauptet einmal ein von sich selbst überzeugter Pfarrer, dass er sich sogar trauen würde "mitten in die Kirche zu ..."; nach vollbrachtem Werk zückt E. das Maßband und gewinnt die Wette, da es nicht genau in der Mitte platziert ist], nutzt sich aber schnell ab.
Hinzu kommt noch, dass die Narreteien (so ein geiles Wort! <3) nur selten witzig sind, sondern meist richtig fies/unfair/betrügerisch und die Auserwählten sowas auch nie verdient haben.
Trotzdem ist das ein Stück deutscher Literatur/Geschichte und man hat echt ein bisschen beim Lesen das Gefühl, durchs Deutschland im 14. Jahrhundert mitzuwandern. :)
Hinzu kommt noch, dass die Narreteien (so ein geiles Wort! <3) nur selten witzig sind, sondern meist richtig fies/unfair/betrügerisch und die Auserwählten sowas auch nie verdient haben.
Trotzdem ist das ein Stück deutscher Literatur/Geschichte und man hat echt ein bisschen beim Lesen das Gefühl, durchs Deutschland im 14. Jahrhundert mitzuwandern. :)
December 22, 2021
Man hat ja immer ein wenig Respekt vor Büchern, die seit einem halben Jahrtausend kursieren, und hier, in diesem Fall, geht es immerhin um Till Eulenspiegel, von dessen Abenteuer x Kinderbuchversionen im Umlauf sind. Liest man allerdings das Originalbuch der Schwänke, 1510 erschienen, einem Hermann Bote zugeschrieben, so muss man sich eingestehen, dass dieser Eulenspiegel ein ziemlich nerviger Wichser war. Nicht nur, dass seine "Spässe" die meiste Zeit dumm und gemein sind, sondern sie triefen auch von Fäkalhumor, und dann wird's richtig eklig. Mag sein, dass die Zeitgenossen das sehr lustig fanden - immerhin mutierte das Buch zum internationalen Bestseller - aber als heutiger Leser hat man so seine Schwierigkeiten. Eulenspiegels Schwänke - und das kann man ihm zugute halten - machen vor keiner sozialen Kaste halt; das geht vom kleinen Bauern bis hin zum Papst. Meistens sind seine Opfer jedoch Handwerker, und man erfährt einiges vom Leben der damaligen Gerber, Schuhmacher, Schmiede, Kürschner, Bäcker etc. Dennoch, abgesehen von einem literaturhistorischen Interesse, bleibt der Gesamteindruck dieses Buches eher mau.
January 13, 2023
An airless knave jingles through medieval germany and gives impertinent lessons served as coarse pranks. Notorious Eulenspiegel gives his contemporaries a taste of their own medicine with a dollop of shit.
The owlglass is a constant admonition to reflect about our morals and manners therefor this is a timeless book with great pleasure for those with earthly humor.
The owlglass is a constant admonition to reflect about our morals and manners therefor this is a timeless book with great pleasure for those with earthly humor.
July 24, 2019
Till Eulenspiegel is best known, if at all, for being the inspiration behind Richard Strauss's "Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks". The original stories aren't really "merry pranks," but they're surprisingly hard to get in English. Since they date from at least 1515, you'd think a public domain version would be available on the Internet, but so many of them involve poop that they tend to be heavily censored.
So I eventually got this edition, which is sufficiently scholarly to include translations of the originals. And...there's a lot of poop, all right. I feel like about a quarter of the stories center on Eulenspiegel pooping. The other categories are "Eulenspiegel is an apprentice who humorously takes figurative instructions literally with catastrophic results" and "Eulenspiegel is a court jester".
So I eventually got this edition, which is sufficiently scholarly to include translations of the originals. And...there's a lot of poop, all right. I feel like about a quarter of the stories center on Eulenspiegel pooping. The other categories are "Eulenspiegel is an apprentice who humorously takes figurative instructions literally with catastrophic results" and "Eulenspiegel is a court jester".
August 29, 2024
Seit längerem wollte ich verstehen, was es mit der Figur Till Eulenspiegel auf sich hat, die so tief in der deutschen Literaturgeschichte verankert ist. Noch heute finden sich unzählige Referenzen auf ihn und an vielen Orten gibt es Denkmäler oder andere Erinnerungsstücke, die Till Eulenspiegel gewidmet sind.
In den letzten Jahrzehnten wurde Hermann Bote als der Autor der 96 Episoden aus Eulenspiegels Leben identifiziert. Allerdings muss ich zugeben, dass mich die meisten dieser Geschichten nicht sonderlich begeistert haben. Die Handlungen sind oft sehr simpel und wenig durchdacht. Auch der Humor hat verständlicherweise völlig an Aktualität verloren. Häufig geht es nur darum, dass Till Eulenspiegel Redewendungen wörtlich nimmt und entsprechend handelt. Außerdem gibt es in den Geschichten viel Fäkalhumor, der nicht gerade subtil oder clever ist. Der Aufbau der einzelnen Episoden wiederholt sich zudem oft, was das Lesen teilweise etwas eintönig macht.
Trotz dieser Kritikpunkte würde ich das Buch aber allen empfehlen, die sich für Literaturgeschichte interessieren. Der Herausgeber, Siegfried H. Sichtermann, hat zu jeder Geschichte ausführliche Anmerkungen beigesteuert, die reich an historischen, kulturellen und gesellschaftlichen Informationen sind. Besonders interessant fand ich die Tatsache, dass Till Eulenspiegel tatsächlich gelebt haben soll, auch wenn die Geschichten um ihn natürlich fiktiv sind. Die Handlungen spielen an bekannten deutschen Orten und man lernt viel über das Leben der Handwerkerstände und Geistlichen im 16. Jahrhundert. Insgesamt handelt es sich um eines der am besten erhaltenen Werke aus dieser Zeit und dementsprechend einen einzigartigen Einblick in die Epoche bietet.
In den letzten Jahrzehnten wurde Hermann Bote als der Autor der 96 Episoden aus Eulenspiegels Leben identifiziert. Allerdings muss ich zugeben, dass mich die meisten dieser Geschichten nicht sonderlich begeistert haben. Die Handlungen sind oft sehr simpel und wenig durchdacht. Auch der Humor hat verständlicherweise völlig an Aktualität verloren. Häufig geht es nur darum, dass Till Eulenspiegel Redewendungen wörtlich nimmt und entsprechend handelt. Außerdem gibt es in den Geschichten viel Fäkalhumor, der nicht gerade subtil oder clever ist. Der Aufbau der einzelnen Episoden wiederholt sich zudem oft, was das Lesen teilweise etwas eintönig macht.
Trotz dieser Kritikpunkte würde ich das Buch aber allen empfehlen, die sich für Literaturgeschichte interessieren. Der Herausgeber, Siegfried H. Sichtermann, hat zu jeder Geschichte ausführliche Anmerkungen beigesteuert, die reich an historischen, kulturellen und gesellschaftlichen Informationen sind. Besonders interessant fand ich die Tatsache, dass Till Eulenspiegel tatsächlich gelebt haben soll, auch wenn die Geschichten um ihn natürlich fiktiv sind. Die Handlungen spielen an bekannten deutschen Orten und man lernt viel über das Leben der Handwerkerstände und Geistlichen im 16. Jahrhundert. Insgesamt handelt es sich um eines der am besten erhaltenen Werke aus dieser Zeit und dementsprechend einen einzigartigen Einblick in die Epoche bietet.
September 9, 2016
Ein Schalk ohnegleichen...
January 2, 2019
European trickster tales. Eulenspiegel wanders around Europe and fools people any which way: taking them too literally, lying to them, abusing their trust, and so on. Typically, he comes to town, gets a job as an apprentice or makes a plan to grift someone, ruins things for someone as a lark, and leaves town. Often, it's not very clever or strange--more like a word of caution that people can be dishonest. But occasionally Eulenspiegel does show some insight, cleverness, or very rarely a sense of justice, and the stories are mildly interesting as folkloric portraits of Europe: the Pope appears as a character in one story, Eulenspiegel briefly claims to be an optician (which made me look up the history of eyeglasses), and that kind of thing.
November 15, 2025
Altdeutsche Schriftweise war echt anstrengend zu lesen und hat deutlich länger gedauert. Geschichten sind selten zusammenhängend (maximal der Ort) und kurz. Dadurch nie wirklich eine Tiefe. Meistens das wörtlich Nehmen von irgendwelchen Aussagen.
Sehr alte Berufe und Gesellschaft (glaube nicht für Kinder ohne Kontext verstehbar)
Gab ein paar witzige/gute Geschichten, der Rest eher lw und Stumpfsinning.
Ist aber irgendwie doch Kult und man sollte paar Geschichten daraus kennen. Könnte man später seinen Kindern vorlesen, aber nicht zu vergleichen mit Märchen.
=> 4/10
Sehr alte Berufe und Gesellschaft (glaube nicht für Kinder ohne Kontext verstehbar)
Gab ein paar witzige/gute Geschichten, der Rest eher lw und Stumpfsinning.
Ist aber irgendwie doch Kult und man sollte paar Geschichten daraus kennen. Könnte man später seinen Kindern vorlesen, aber nicht zu vergleichen mit Märchen.
=> 4/10
December 28, 2025
Lots of misunderstanding people literally, lots of Fäkalhumor (jokes around excrements and placing them in inopportune/undesirable places), lots of tongue in cheek.
Interesting as a historic document, maybe reading it once suffices though.
Interesting as a historic document, maybe reading it once suffices though.
Read
April 30, 2024Not sure how to rate this one. Some good stories in there and I liked getting a peek at the way people lived in the time, but boy oh boy were there too many “pranks” using actual shit…
May 12, 2023
Схоже, середньовічна комедія - то взагалі не моє. Кілька років тому я прочитала мальопис "Єронім і Босх", який критикувала за надлишок сцен з лайном і сечею. Здається, це був лютий факап, навпаки, треба було похвалити за відтворення духу описаної епохи. Бо добра половина жартів і бешкетів Тіля Германа Боте врешті-решт зводилась до того, що він справляв велику нужду у непризначеному для цього місці=/
February 21, 2021
Ich wollte diesem Hörbuch wirklich zwei Sterne geben, weil der Sprecher hervorragende Arbeit leistet und an der Produktion des Audiobuchs selbst nichts auszusetzen ist. Bedauerlicherweise verabscheue ich den Charakter Till Eulenspiegel so sehr, dass ich nach etwa einem Drittel jedes Kapitel gehasst habe.
Ich fürchte, das ist eine dieser älteren Geschichten, mit denen ich einfach nichts anfangen kann. Die Historien selbst werden schnell repetitiv, der Humor ist ausgesprochen vorhersehbar und ich bin mir sicher, dass Eulenspiegel hervorragend bei einem Psychopathie-Test abschneiden würde. Nehme ich diese Geschichten zu ernst? Wahrscheinlich. Ändert das meine Meinung? Nope.
Es sei noch einmal betont: Peter Groeger, der Sprecher, macht seinen Job hervorragend. Nur Hermann Bote halt nicht - zumindest nicht nach meinen Maßstäben.
Ich fürchte, das ist eine dieser älteren Geschichten, mit denen ich einfach nichts anfangen kann. Die Historien selbst werden schnell repetitiv, der Humor ist ausgesprochen vorhersehbar und ich bin mir sicher, dass Eulenspiegel hervorragend bei einem Psychopathie-Test abschneiden würde. Nehme ich diese Geschichten zu ernst? Wahrscheinlich. Ändert das meine Meinung? Nope.
Es sei noch einmal betont: Peter Groeger, der Sprecher, macht seinen Job hervorragend. Nur Hermann Bote halt nicht - zumindest nicht nach meinen Maßstäben.
January 13, 2023
For anyone interested in German history and culture, this book is a must. Hermann Bote tells the 96 stories of Till Eulenspiegel, a kind of a travelling Joker who makes fun on everyone's expenses.
Till Eulenspiegel is well know in German culture and his stories are often used to compare to similar situations in real life.
The text is written in very easy reading manner, although several ancient German words not in use nowadays are found in key incidents. Some words are easy to figure out, but others need a bit of research to understand.
For example the word "Schalk" means “who likes to have fun with others”.
In summary this book personifies the German word "Schadenfreude", which I believe is unique to he German language.
Anyway, this book makes it worth independently of the hurdles.
Till Eulenspiegel is well know in German culture and his stories are often used to compare to similar situations in real life.
The text is written in very easy reading manner, although several ancient German words not in use nowadays are found in key incidents. Some words are easy to figure out, but others need a bit of research to understand.
For example the word "Schalk" means “who likes to have fun with others”.
In summary this book personifies the German word "Schadenfreude", which I believe is unique to he German language.
Anyway, this book makes it worth independently of the hurdles.
Read
April 15, 20221512-15
Also https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8...
Also https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8...
Read
March 6, 2019These stories are entertaining, and offer a very interesting glimpse at late medieval German society. Till Eulenspiegel drifts between being plain simpleminded, to a wise fool to a conman in the stories. Entertaining as they are individually the modern reader probably could get most of the flavor the Till Eulenspiegel character through a careful selection of a quarter of these here. That said I don't regret reading the entire collection, but they do become somewhat repetitive.
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