Double and duplicity in the works of E. T. A. Hoffmann

Author(s)

Rafael Rocca dos Santos

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH/SBD)
• Defense date: 2019-11-22

Examining board members

Marcus Vinicius Mazzari; Maria Aparecida Barbosa; Juliana Pasquarelli Perez; Karin Volobuef

• Advisor: Marcus Vinicius Mazzari

Abstract

This work aims to analyze the motive of the double and relations of duplicity in the works of E. T. A. Hoffmann (1776-1822), a German romantic writer. We first analyzed the main topics subjacent to the period during which Hoffmann wrote his work by identifying aspects of dualism, the reaction to Illuminist thought, the main issues in Romanticism and determining influences for the literary writing of Hoffmann. In face of the criticism of the motive of the double and its multiple visions, sometimes conflicting or disperse, we conducted a historical overview of narratives in which the motive of the double or the relations of duplicity are the central topic of the texts. The analyzed works are deemed the most representative for the objectives of this dissertation. After the works were identified, we analyzed the psychoanalytical and literary criticism that addressed the motive of the double by identifying the main contributions for the interpretation of this motive. Based on selected texts and on the discussion proposed by the critics, a reading proposal was formulated to guide the interpretation of narratives that contain doubles or relations of duplicity. Finally, we conducted an annotated analysis of the short story \"The doubles\" and identified the main traces of the motive of the double in this text, which is centered precisely on the double problematics. This work aimed to offer a comprehensive perspective of texts and the criticism related to the motive of the double in order to propose an approach for the analysis of narratives that address essentially human conflicts. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/03412-9 - The double in selected short stories of E. T. A. Hoffmann
• Grantee: Rafael Rocca dos Santos
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master