- Peter Schlemiel
Infobox Book
name = Peter Schlemihl
translator = Richard Seaver
author =Adelbert Von Chamisso
cover_artist =
country =Germany
language = German
series =
genre =Novel
publisher =
release_date = 1814
isbn = ISBN 978-1-84749-080-3
preceded_by =
followed_by =Peter Schlemiel is the title character of an
1814 story, "Peter Schlemihls wundersame Geschichte" ("Peter Schlemihl's Remarkable Story"),Cite web|url=http://www.urth.net/urth/archives/v0022/0059.shtml|title=Reflections on a Shadowless Man|accessdate=2008-03-25|publisher=urth.net|year=18 Dec 1998|author=Nigel Price|work=Moonmilk: URTH archives v22 0059] written in German by exiled Frencharistocrat Adelbert von Chamisso . In the story, Schlemiel sells hisshadow to theDevil for a bottomless wallet, only to find that a man without a shadow is shunned by human society. The woman he loves rejects him, and he spends the rest of his life wandering the world in scientific exploration.The
Yiddish word "Schlemiel "—and itsHebrew cognate "Shlumi'el"—mean a hopelessly incompetent person, a bungler. Consequently, the name is asynonym of one who makes adesperate or sillybargain .Reception and cultural influence
The story, intended for children, was widely read and the character became a common cultural reference in many countries. People generally remembered the element of the shadow better than how the story ended, simplifying Chamisso's lesson to "don't sell your shadow to the Devil."
Later retellings
In the third act of
Jacques Offenbach 's1881 opera , "Les contes d'Hoffmann ", a similarly-named character, Schlemil, has also given up his shadow.The story is referred to by
Ludwig Wittgenstein in his "Philosophical Investigations " (Section 339).The story was performed on American television, in a 1953 episode of "Favorite Story," starring
DeForest Kelley as the title character.Cite web|url=http://klhalliday.com/DeKelley/Annotated/1953.htm#1953YourFav|title=DeForest Kelley Filmography - 1953|accessdate=2008-03-25|publisher=klhalliday.com|year=2003|author=Karen Halliday]The Maticore, by Robertson DaviesThe story is referred to in the novel, The Manticore, by Dr. Von Haller in a discussion about the significance of losing one's shadow.
ources
* "Peter Schlemiel : The Man Who Sold His Shadow"
* "Hana Hou Magazine", June/July 2003External links
* [http://www.michaelhaldane.com/PeterSchlemihl.htm "The Wonderful History of Peter Schlemihl"] at michaelhaldane.com
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