Choosing the Bride

This absurd novella by Hoffman (1776–1822) has not aged well, as it leans heavily on the casual anti-Semitism of his day. Hoffman is most famous as the author of The Nutcracker, and this work has magic as well in the character of goldsmith Herr Leonhard, who may or may not be the 16th-century alchemist and astrologer Leonhard Turnhäuser zum Thurm. The most sought-after beauty of the day in Berlin is Fraulein Albertina Fosswinkel, daughter of commission councilor Melchior Fosswinkel. To help her choose a husband, Leonhard, who is a godfather of sorts to Albertina, borrows from Shakespeare’s A Merchant of Venice and sets up three chests, one holding Albertina’s portrait and the others containing magical objects. Each of her three suitors will choose a chest, with one winning her hand. Albertina’s Jewish suitor, Baron Benjamin, is originally dismissed because of his religion and described as stereotypically greedy. Modern readers are likely to be put off by Albertina’s lack of agency as well as the bigotry, leaving this work of interest only to Hoffmann scholars. (Jan.)