Peter Schlemihl

Chamisso, Adelbert von, 1781-1838Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.0

Word count: 200K words
Chapters: 21

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Peter Schlemihl by Adelbert von ChamissoAuthor: Chamisso, Adelbert von, 1781-1838,Language: English, Class: PT: Language and Literatures: Germanic, Scandinavian, and Icelandic literatures, Release Date: Mar 1, 2004

Editor's review

Peter Schlemihl is a short but deeply suggestive classic of German Romantic literature. The premise—the protagonist exchanges his shadow for wealth—seems absurd, yet it pushes the relationship between personality, reputation, and social identity into an extreme situation. Chamisso's narration is restrained and ironic, never over-sentimental, yet beneath the light allegorical surface it leaves the reader with a cool question: if a person loses the visible credentials of society, can he still be regarded as a whole human being? This edition comes from Project Gutenberg as a public-domain English ebook and serves as an accessible entry into German Romantic narrative and the "Faustian bargain" motif. It can be read as a strange fairy tale and also as an early metaphor for labels, credit, and identity in modern society. It is short enough to finish in segments on a commute or before sleep, and it tends to leave something to ponder and discuss.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers curious about German Romantic literature but intimidated by thick volumes
Those interested in allegorical motifs such as exchanging one's soul or shadow for gain
Students who need a short English text for reading practice
Literary fans who enjoy reading social allegory within a light narrative

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer tightly plotted, highly conflict-driven fiction may find the pace gentle
Readers hoping for a Chinese translation or a heavily annotated edition
Readers with little patience for allegorical, symbolic writing

Reading tips

First read it through as a strange story without rushing to find symbolic meaning; on a second pass, revisit the details of the shadow-for-wealth exchange.
While reading, note changes in the protagonist's position in social settings and think about what it means to be "seen."
Read it alongside works such as Faust that involve bargains and costs, and compare how different writers handle them.
Since this is a public-domain English ebook, guess unfamiliar words from context first rather than looking up every word and breaking the rhythm.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What language is this edition in? Is it suitable for English beginners?

This edition is an English ebook provided by Project Gutenberg. The language is generally in a nineteenth-century written style; sentence structures are not overly complex, but the vocabulary is somewhat difficult. Readers with some English reading foundation can attempt it; complete beginners are advised to use annotations or choose a bilingual edition.

What is the core premise of the story?

The protagonist, Peter Schlemihl, sells his shadow to a mysterious man in exchange for a purse of inexhaustible gold. After losing his shadow, he is rejected everywhere in society, and the story unfolds as an inquiry into identity, reputation, and personhood. Readers are advised to experience the specific plot in the course of reading.

Is it long? How long does it take to finish?

This is a relatively short novella-length narrative work; the English ebook is not large, and an average reader can finish it over a few evenings or about a week of scattered time, making it suitable as part of a short-term reading plan.

Related on WeRead

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Chamisso, Adelbert von, 1781-1838 Author

Adelbert von Chamisso (1781–1838) was a German writer best known for his fairy-tale novel Peter Schlemihl's Wundersame Geschichte (The Wonderful Story of Peter Schlemihl). The library holds four of his works, including multiple versions of Peter Schlemihl and a Finnish translation, Pietari Schlemihl'in eriskummalliset elämänvaiheet; they are commonly classified under inspirational growth. Public information is limited, but his representative work shows that he used fantastical narrative to explore identity, desire, and selfhood in a satirical and philosophical tone. The story of a man who sells his shadow for wealth has circulated widely and is often read as an allegory of growth and life choices, exerting a lasting influence on later literature and readers.