Details Out Of Books The Devil's Elixirs
| Title | : | The Devil's Elixirs |
| Author | : | E.T.A. Hoffmann |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 336 pages |
| Published | : | June 1st 2007 by Grosvenor House Publishing Limited (first published 1815) |
| Categories | : | Classics. European Literature. German Literature. Gothic. Fiction. Horror |
E.T.A. Hoffmann
Paperback | Pages: 336 pages Rating: 3.84 | 1853 Users | 101 Reviews
Narration Conducive To Books The Devil's Elixirs
The charismatic monk Medardus becomes implicated in a deadly mystery against his will. As he travels towards Rome he wrestles with the enigma of his own identity while pursued by his murderous doppelganger. The monk's only hope for salvation lies with the beautiful Aurelie; but in order to escape the curse which lies over his family, he must evade the sinister powers of the living and the dead. In this lively and disturbing gothic tale, Hoffmann combines elements of the fantastic and the sublime to analyse the seductive ambiguities of art and the deeply divided nature of the human imagination.
Mention Books During The Devil's Elixirs
| Original Title: | Die Elixiere des Teufels |
| ISBN: | 1906210187 (ISBN13: 9781906210182) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Rating Out Of Books The Devil's Elixirs
Ratings: 3.84 From 1853 Users | 101 ReviewsCommentary Out Of Books The Devil's Elixirs
AwsomeThis is the life story of the Capuchin monk Medardus, written by his own hand. When exactly the story is set is not told, probably sometime in the early 18th century. In his monastery Medardus finds a mystical bottle that contains the titular elixir of the Devil. I think I don't say too much when I tell that he takes a sip from that bottle. His further life is filled with visions, insanity, murder, sin, wickedness, lust, repentance and all of the rest the ecclesiastical vocabulary has to offer.
Quite the vintage
OK, granted this is opera plot level daft, with emotional swings along the lines of love - hate - love - stab (sometimes within sentences of one another), but I rather like it. It's full-blooded, original recipe gothic, complete with family curse, virtuous maiden, a mad monk or two, and a plot that's not so much labyrinthine as a hall of mirrors. Events and characters repeat and reflect one another, you'll probably need a pencil and paper to work out the family relationships (and even then I
an absurd and nigh-incomprehensible plot, filled with grotesque characters. love to see it.the transition to more subtle storytelling in the second half was intriguing, as was the question of the narrator's reliability.i'm about 90% convinced the Elixirs in question are actually Buckfast.
mostly great, but the attempt to explain i dont know how many generations of illegitimate kids being adopted or switched etc was tedious, unnecessary and frankly incomprehensible. there is a chart in the end.
A very strange book but fascinating. Supposedly "the posthumously publisheed writings of Brother Medardus, a Capuchin Monk." Although the story starts out making sense - Brother Medarus, whose sin is tremendous pride - decides to leave the monastery clandestinely. He finds a man sleeping on a ledge above a rocky chasm and, since the man appears to be in great danger of falling, decides to help him. But did he or did he push the man over? As we find out, Medardus and the dead man look identical.
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