hing scorn which was then undoubtedly gnawing at his
heart. _Der Sandmann_, though embodying reminiscences of its author's
youth, also contains material derived from an incident which took place
during a visit of Hoffmann's to Fouque's country-seat near Ratenow, and
Nathanael was recognised by Fouque as meant for himself. _Das Majorat_
is, as already stated, a lasting memorial to his old great-uncle,
Voethoery; the moral backbone of the story--the evil destiny attaching to
the successors of a man whose ambition aimed at founding a powerful
family by an act of injustice to his youngest son--reminds the
reader forcibly of the purpose that runs through Hawthorne's _House
with the Seven Gables_. Of the in many respects admirable story _Das
Geluebde_--it is to be regretted that it is marred by the dangerous
nature of the subject;[25] it is else poetically treated and invested
with a spirit of weird mysticism that would have made it rank higher
than what it does. The others in the collection are of lesser merit.

The next year 1818 saw no important work from Hoffmann's pen; but in
1819 appeared _Die seltsame Leiden eines Theaterdirekters_, a book
written in the form of a dialogue, which was due to the example of his
favourite, Diderot's "Rameau's Nephew" (by Goethe), and which conveys a
tolerably faithful account of Hoffmann's experiences in the capacity
indicated whilst in the town on the Regnitz, and indeed is useful as
illustrating the condition of the German stage generally at that
period. This was followed by a kind of fairy tale, _Klein Zaches
genannt Zinnober_; as this book was generally believed to be a local
satire upon persons and circumstances well known, it entailed many
severe strictures and much unpleasantness upon its writer. The truth
about it seems to be this: the idea--that of a sort of ugly kobold of
the Handy Andy type--was suggested by a sudden fancy during an attack
of fever, and in a moment of semi-delirium. On recovering his health
again, Hoffmann set to work in his impetuous and hasty way, and worked
out the idea in probably less than a fortnight. Similarly his _Meister
Floh_, one of the last and weakest caricatures he wrote, was likely to
have entailed disagreeable consequences upon him, had not his last
illness come before any authoritative steps could be taken. For he had
made use of incidents which came to his knowledge in the official
discharge of his duties, and which were of such a character tha