AFTERLIVES OF THE SANDMAN: RE-FIGURING THE FANTASTIC-SUBLIME by YVONNE TOEPFER A DISSERTATION Presented to the Department of Comparative Literature and the Graduate School of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy June 2014 DISSERTATION APPROVAL PAGE Student: Yvonne Toepfer Title: Afterlives of the Sandman: Re-Figuring the Fantastic-Sublime This dissertation has been accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Doctor of Philosophy degree in the Department of Comparative Literature by: Dorothee Ostmeier Chairperson Dianne Dugaw Core Member Daniel Wojcik Core Member Bonnie Mann Institutional Representative Original approval signatures are on file with the University of Graduate School. Degree awarded June 2014 ii © 2014 Yvonne Toepfer iii DISSERTATION ABSTRACT Yvonne Toepfer Doctor of Philosophy Department of Comparative Literature June 2014 Title: Afterlives of the Sandman: Re-Figuring the Fantastic-Sublime This comparative project investigates different representations of the sandman between the 19th century and the 20th century. My discussion focuses on Romantic texts, in particular E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1816 literary tale “Der Sandmann.” While the traditional scholarship on Hoffmann uses both psychoanalytical and feminist approaches, I show how Friedrich Schlegel’s concept of chaos and Jean-François Lyotard’s concept of the postmodern sublime help us to understand Hoffmann’s complex narrative structure. I argue that in Hoffmann’s tale there is no unified sandman figure. However, different storytellers in the tale shape the sandman’s various depictions. In a way, the sandman figure becomes a fluid character whose enigma the narrative’s structure sustains. Paul Berry’s 1991 stop-motion animation “The Sandman” visualizes Hoffmann’s narrative. However, the film also reintroduces a unified sandman figure that is characterized by uncanny strangeness. My analyses both of Hoffmann’s literary and Berry’s cinematographic narrative show that their complex structures allow for ceaseless interpretations. This leads me to conclude that fantastic narratives lend themselves to insightful and critical ponderings. iv CURRICULUM VITAE NAME OF AUTHOR: Yvonne Toepfer GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLS ATTENDED: University of Oregon, Eugene Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, California DEGREES AWARDED: Doctor of Philosophy, Comparative Literature, 2014, University of Oregon Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, 2006, University of Oregon AREAS OF SPECIAL INTERESTS: German and English Romanticism Narratology Studies and Folklore Fairy Tale Studies PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES: Graduate Teaching Fellow, Department of German and Scandinavian, University of Oregon, Eugene, 2007-2009, 2013-4 Graduate Teaching Fellow, Department of Comparative Literature, University of Oregon, Eugene, 2009-2013 GRANTS, AWARDS, AND HONORS: Department of Comparative Literature Professional Advancement Scholarship, 2014 Graduate Teaching Fellowship Department of German and Scandinavian, University of Oregon, Eugene, 2007-2009, 2013-4 Comparative Literature Educational Opportunity Award, Comparative Literature Department, University of Oregon, 2013 Donald and Dariel Stein Teaching Award 2013, Graduate School, University of Oregon, 2013 v Departmental Nomination for Donald and Dariel Stein Teaching Award 2013, Graduate School, University of Oregon, 2013 Graduate Teaching Fellow, Department of Comparative Literature, University of Oregon, Eugene, 2009-2013 PUBLICATIONS: Toepfer, Yvonne. Rev. of "Life Lessons through Storytelling: Children's Exploration of Ethics," by Donna Eder (with Regina Holyan). Journal of Folklore Research Reviews. 30 Mar 2011: online. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are many individuals who supported me in completing this dissertation. I wish to express sincere appreciation to Professor Ostmeier – my dissertation chair, mentor and good friend – for her assistance in the preparation of this manuscript. Our numerous conversations and editing nights were tremendously helpful. I am grateful for the little treats that she left at my doorstep after a long day of writing. I also thank Professor Dianne Dugaw, Professor Bonnie Mann, and Professor Daniel Wojcik, three exceptional professors who also kept me on my toes and pushed me to refine my argument and ideas throughout every stage of this project. I also thank Siobhan “Ruby” McConnell, my editor, who help me to trust my voice when I feared I lost it in translation. A big thank you for the two special coffee shops (Vero and Perugino) in town for keeping me caffeinated during long (and early) hours of writing; and even offering me their private car to take a break and drive to the Oregon coast. I also need to thank my Department of Comparative Literature, and all of my colleagues for keeping me sane. A special thank you to Professor Ken Calhoon for suggesting the title of my dissertation. Baran, Emily, and Sunayani: thank you all for sending these motivating texts when I really needed them. And last but not least, my biggest thank you has to be for my parents who read fairy tales to me when I was little and allowed me to haul their collection of fairy tale books to Eugene. Thank you to my grandparents and my “little” brother, André. vii For Gabi and Jürgen viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 1 1. General Introduction ................................................................................................... 1 2. Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................. 11 2. 1. Deviating from Sigmund Freud’s Uncanny and the Psycho-analytical Approach ................................................................................................................... 11 2.2. Tzvetan Todorov’s Fantastic, Schlegel’s Chaos and “The Sandman” .............. 13 2.3. Hoffmann’s Ironic and Fantastic Sandman Figure ............................................ 15 2.4. Crystallizations of New Ideas on Reading Hoffman: The Post-Modern Sublime ..................................................................................................................... 18 3. Cluster of Ideas and Images of the Sandman in Literature, Cinema and Musical Compositions .............................................................................................. 22 4. Overview of Chapters ............................................................................................... 37 II. THE FRAGMENTED MULTIPLICITY OF E.T.A. HOFFMANN’S “DER SANDMANN” .................................................................................................................. 39 1. Psychoanalytical Approach ....................................................................................... 41 2. After Freud ................................................................................................................ 49 3. Textual Analysis ....................................................................................................... 58 III. FRACTURED NARRATOLOGIES AND THE POST-MODERN SUBLIME IN E.T.A. HOFFMANN’S “DER SANDMANN” AND HOFFMANN’S ILLUSTRATION .............................................................................................................. 78 ix Chapter Page IV. KRISTEVA AND BERRY: THE SANDMAN’S “UNCANNY STRANGENESS” ........................................................................................................... 108 V. CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................... 138 1. Future Projects ........................................................................................................ 140 REFERENCES CITED ................................................................................................... 142 x LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Pow! ...................................................................................................................... 26 2. Gaiman's Endless Nights. ..................................................................................... 26 3. Paul Berry's 1991 Sandman .................................................................................. 30 4. Pederson's 1905 Sandman ..................................................................................... 30 5. Müde bin ich, geh zur Ruh .................................................................................... 32 6. Hoffmann's pen and ink drawing .......................................................................... 79 7. Doorknob .............................................................................................................. 120 8. The sandman in the moon ..................................................................................... 128 9. Opening ................................................................................................................. 129 10. The Nest ............................................................................................................... 129 11. Sandman's Invisibility .......................................................................................... 131 12. The Ghost ............................................................................................................. 132 13. Closing the Door .................................................................................................