Short fantasy-adventure German novella. Not bad. ( )

Parabel, man verkoopt zijn schaduw à de duivel. ( )

Our hero, Peter Schlemihl, is a poor young man, in town to get an introduction to a local aristocrat. But at their meeting, he encounters a strange man in grey - a man with capacious pockets, bringing forth everything the nobles want, while they seem to barely notice him...
In a twist on Faust, the grey man offers Peter limitless gold...in exchange for his shadow.
It all seemed a bit silly after this. Having thought "big deal! he won't miss a shadow!" it turns out to be a vital possession. Without it, he is cut off from society; his girlfriend's parents- initially so thrilled at a wealthy match- make her break their engagement, and he only darews venture out under dark. And then the Devil returns to offer to return the shadow...in exchange for his soul.
All a bit silly; the ending, where Peter (like the author) embarks on a life of travel and botanizing, seems somewhat unconnected. ( )

Een man kan de verleiding niet weerstaan en ruilt zijn schaduw in voor een onuitputtelijke goudbeurs. Amper een tel later beklaagt hij zich de ruil al, hij wordt nagewezen, bespot, gemeden en is veroordeeld tot een schemerleven. De liefde duikt onvermijdelijk op, maar wie wil of kan er nu eenmaal trouwen met een schaduwloze man? De duivel stelt hem een nieuwe overeenkomst voor: hij krijgt zijn schaduw terug, mag ook het goud houden, ditmaal in ruil voor zijn ziel. De man blijft ditmaal standvastig, en het lot zal het hem lonen.
Niet meer of minder dan een klassieker. ( )

While seeking patronage with a local squire after a long journey, Peter Schlemihl encounters a mysterious man in grey who appears to be able to fulfil everyone's wishes. About to leave the squire's party, Peter is approached by the stranger and offered the purse of Fortunatus with its inexhaustible supply of gold in exchange for his shadow. In his folly Peter agrees, but he soon finds cause to regret his impetuous decision.

A classic of 19th-century German Romanticism, this morality tale was written for the children of the author's patron, and it shows – the tone is very much that of a fairy tale intended for the moral instruction of children, very popular at the time it was written. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but the story's characters remain one dimensional and there is virtually no character progression, though it is interesting to note that the narrator of the story, Peter Schlemihl himself, addresses himself directly to the author, as if in corroboration of the veracity of the events. Towards the end the plot takes a rather unexpected direction when I was hoping for some sort of resolution to Peter's dilemma, and although the ending feels unsatisfactory to me, there is a message to be found. ( )