Discussion - Week Three - L&O Tomcat Murr - Part III, p. 165 - 264

[Jim]

This discussion covers Part III, page 165 – 264

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

The animals get thrashed quite a lot, but are luckier in love than the humans.

[Jonathan]

I've only just got the end of Part III and I feel that the Kreisler section has picked up a bit.

I've got a bit distracted with a Hoffman biography (Hoffmann: Author of the Tales,), which I want to read sometime soon, but I've started skimming through it for info on Tomcat Murr; there's a whole chapter on Kreisler-Hoffmann. I didn't realise that some of Hoffmnann's earliest works were about Kreisler, called Phantasiestücke in Callots Manier [Fantasy Pieces in Callot's Manner]. I wonder if Tomcat Murr would make more sense if we'd read those beforehand?

BTW A good online source of info is http://greatsfandf.com/AUTHORS/ETAHof....

[Jim]

Jonathan wrote: "I've only just got the end of Part III and I feel that the Kreisler section has picked up a bit..."

It's strange, but normally I wouldn't be interested in the trials and tribulations of young nobles, but for some reason I'm hooked on the Kreisler sections - even more so than the Murr story. By whatever magic, Hoffmann has made these fragments very compelling.

[Jonathan]

Jim wrote: "It's strange, but normally I wouldn't be interested in the trials and tribulations of young nobles, but for some reason I'm hooked on the Kreisler sections - even more so than the Murr story..."

I'm finding the Murr story less interesting and the Kreisler story more interesting as I proceed.

I still can't say it's one of Hoffmann's best works - The Devil's Elixirs is a much better book for instance.