Zusammenfassung
Zusammenfassung von Peter Schlemihls wundersame Geschichte und Das kalte Herz
Go deeper: the whole of Peter Schlemihls wundersame Geschichte und Das kalte Herz
About 2 h 50 min to read.Für wen es gedacht ist
Readers who enjoy old German folklore and fairy tales with a moral edge will love these stories. They suit anyone drawn to tales about money, pride, friendship and what makes a person whole.
Worum es in diesem Buch geht
What would you pay for your own shadow? Peter Schlemihl, a poor young man, sells his to a stranger for a purse that never runs dry. He thinks it a clever bargain on a sunny afternoon. Within hours he learns that people forgive a thief more easily than a man who casts no shadow.
This volume joins two German tales. Adelbert von Chamisso wrote the first in 1813. Wilhelm Hauff wrote The Cold Heart, which rests on an old Black Forest legend. Both ask what a person gives up to be rich, and both answer with a strange object: a missing shadow, a heart of stone.
In dieser Zusammenfassung
- 1A grey man buys a shadow for goldFree
- 2Without a shadow, gold buys no peace
- 3A loyal friend shields a secret
- 4Count Peter and the beauty of the forest
- 5A servant, a father and a parchment
- 6A charcoal burner who envies his neighbors
- 7Three wishes and a ruined glassworks
- 8A heart of stone and a joyless life
- 9What the stories say and how they are told
Punkt 1 von 9
A grey man buys a shadow for gold
Peter Schlemihl steps off a ship with a letter for a rich merchant, Thomas John. He finds Mr. John in a park, among friends, declaring that a man without a million is a poor wretch. Peter, anxious to please, cries out that this is true.
Then he notices a tall, pale man in an old grey coat. From one small pocket this man draws sticking plaster, a telescope, a Turkish carpet, a full tent and three saddled horses. No one is surprised, and no one thanks him. Peter alone is filled with horror, and he slips away across the lawn.
The grey man catches up and asks a strange favor. May he buy Peter's shadow? In return Peter may have the purse of Fortunatus, which never runs out of gold. Peter tries it, and ten gold pieces come out, then ten more. He says the bargain is made. The stranger kneels, folds the shadow like cloth and tucks it away.
The grey man appears humble, but later presses Peter to surrender his soul. He only offers what Peter already craves. A quick bargain for easy gold may cost something you only miss in daylight.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
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Questions about Peter Schlemihls wundersame Geschichte und Das kalte Herz
What is The Marvellous History of the Shadowless Man about?
It tells of Peter Schlemihl, a young man who sells his shadow to a stranger in a grey coat for a purse that never empties, then discovers how society treats someone who casts no shadow.
What does the shadow mean in Peter Schlemihl?
Chamisso never gave a single answer and joked about those who searched for one. Readers often take it as a sign of belonging, homeland, honor or the solid substance a person needs among other people.
Who are Dutch Michael and the Glassmanikin in The Cold Heart?
They are two forest spirits of Black Forest legend. The Glassmanikin is a small, kind guardian of treasure who grants three wishes, while Dutch Michael is a giant raftsman who offers gold in exchange for a person's heart.
When was Peter Schlemihl written and is it a true story?
Chamisso wrote the story in 1813 as a fable, not a true account. It draws on his own feelings as a Frenchman living in Germany, and some small episodes came from his own experience.
What is the main message of the two tales?
Both tales say that wealth gained by a hasty bargain costs something more valuable than gold. In one it is belonging, in the other warmth of heart, and each hero must learn what that loss really means.
Cite this edition
Chamisso, Adelbert von, and Wilhelm Hauff. The Marvellous History of the Shadowless Man, and the Cold Heart. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-marvellous-history-of-the-shadowless-man-and-the-cold-heart.
Chamisso, A. von, & Hauff, W. (2026). The marvellous history of the shadowless man, and the cold heart. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-marvellous-history-of-the-shadowless-man-and-the-cold-heart
Chamisso, Adelbert von, and Wilhelm Hauff. The Marvellous History of the Shadowless Man, and the Cold Heart. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-marvellous-history-of-the-shadowless-man-and-the-cold-heart.
@book{chamisso2026marvellous,
author = {Chamisso, Adelbert von and Hauff, Wilhelm},
title = {The Marvellous History of the Shadowless Man, and the Cold Heart},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-marvellous-history-of-the-shadowless-man-and-the-cold-heart}
}
