[electmobile]

My first foray into Hoffmann has led me to this awkward novel. It proposes to be the autobiography of a self-taught cat edited by Hoffmann himself. But because of a printing error, the autobiography comes out spliced with the biography of Kapellmeister Johannes Kreisler (Hoffmann?s alter ego). Both narratives go on, breaking off at dramatic points and leaving the reader anxious to jump back into each of them.

This is an uneven novel. In Murr, Hoffmann created a loveable, na?ve, arrogant cat whose intellectual and emotional growth is a clear mockery of Romanticism and Goethe?s sentimental novels. He writes ridiculous poems on his exaggerated feelings; he quotes writers he never read; he has unrequited loves; he has duels of honor; he joins cat fraternities; he befriends dogs and even writes a book about both species. He constantly reminds the ?young tomcats? reading his memoirs how he?ll be great one day and constantly gives advice on things he?s inexperienced in. His personality is so mesmerizing.

Then there?s Johannes Kreisler?s side. It involves Princes and Princesses and a dull romantic story with Gothic trappings that I hardly remember even though I finished this novel one day ago. From the introduction I realize it?s a satire of German society, but it?s not as amusing as Murr?s satire of the entire spirit of an age. Kreisler is an eccentric musician given to mood swings, but he?s never as fascinating as the self-taught cat who thought he was a descendant of the Puss in Boots. I cringed whenever his wonderful thoughts broke off to continue Kreisler?s life. And, disturbingly, Hoffmann granted it more pages.

This is a wonderful read for anyone who likes a good mix of humor and fantasy, or loves cats. I myself am a fan of cat characters: Puss in Boots, Tobermory, Cheshire Cat. Murr is a nice addition to my knowledge.

[bortycuz]

I enjoyed this novel, and I also preferred Murr's parts over the story of Kreisler (although I do love Schumann's take on it!). On a side note, it was in this book that the Bocksbeutel was mentioned first.

[goldcigarettes]

My quick review
Catnip: On E.T.A. Hoffmann?s ?Lebensansichten des Katers Murr? shigekuni.

yeah. well. need to read more Hoffmann.

[goldcigarettes]

a brief reviewish piece on Christa Wolf's 'continuation' "New Life and Opinions of a Tomcat"

Remarks on Christa Wolf’s “New Life and Opinions of a Tomcat” shigekuni.

[iceleliewBync]

To go off at a tangent, the best fictional feline narrator I've ever encountered is in Angela Carter's short story 'Puss-in-Boots'.

[grinaJanoDant]

Heteronym, if you like cat characters may I suggest two American cats to you:

Krazy Kat,

who with every brick thrown at her/his head falls more deeply in love with Ignatz Mouse, 'the lil darling'(Krazy's gender is never determined but is rarely problematic except when he/she turns into a blonde female and drives Ignatz nuts);

And Mehitabel, ('toujours gai kid, and always a lady'),

whose life is chronicled by her admirer Archy, the cockroach?

Archy and Mehitabel was written by the columnist Don Marquis and later illustrated by Georges Herriman the creator of Krazy Kat comics. (Please note my self control, I did not use a K instead of a c in comics neither did I use a z in nuts.)

[electmobile]

I've never read Krazy Kat, but I have somewhere George Herriman's biography, a few pages read. I keep telling myself I should finish it one day, as a good comics fan, but I'm always distracted by other readings

Mirabell, I'd love to read Christa Wolf's 'continuation' (or anything by her in fact), but that reviews seems pretty harsh on Hoffmann's text. For instance in this excerpt:

But what about Murr and his equivalent in Wolf?s story, Max? Both are first person narrators of their story, both are philistines of a kind, but while Murr?s story is basically Murr?s Bildungsroman (a parody, actually, of the genre), Max is just an observer of the events. While Murr is talking about his life and reflecting mainly on himself, and his pet friends, Max is almost exclusively focused on humans. Murr?s reflections were part of a complex metafictional web Hoffmann was weaving in his book, which largely references and targets other books, while Wolf is having none of that.

You see, what I especially loved about Murr's section is that Hoffmann invented a convincing private world populated by cats and dogs, that he managed to create an emotional narrative outside the human experience. This has to do with my personal conception of quality, which puts a lot of stock on imagination, but I do prefer a novel that transposes the human world into the animal world, than a novel which uses an animal as a mere observer (making him perhaps redundant) of the ordinary human world that is often captured in novels.

[goldcigarettes]

but that reviews seems pretty harsh on Hoffmann's text. For instance in this excerpt:

But what about Murr and his equivalent in Wolf?s story, Max? Both are first person narrators of their story, both are philistines of a kind, but while Murr?s story is basically Murr?s Bildungsroman (a parody, actually, of the genre), Max is just an observer of the events. While Murr is talking about his life and reflecting mainly on himself, and his pet friends, Max is almost exclusively focused on humans. Murr?s reflections were part of a complex metafictional web Hoffmann was weaving in his book, which largely references and targets other books, while Wolf is having none of that.

Oh, no, nothing in there is meant in a negative way. I think that Hoffmann's book is far superior. My review of the book Catnip: E.T.A. Hoffmann’s “Lebensansichten des Katers Murr” shigekuni. is almost gushing, no?