Peter Schlemihl is the title character of an 1814

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...

, ' (''Peter Schlemihl's Miraculous Story''), written in German by exiled French aristocrat Adelbert von Chamisso.

Plot

In the story, Schlemihl sells his shadow to the Devil for a bottomless wallet (the gold sack of

Fortunatus Fortunatus is a Latin word meaning "happy, lucky, rich, blessed". A masculine given name, it can refer to: Saints * Fortunatus the Apostle, one of the 70 Disciples of Jesus Christ, companion of Achaicus of Corinth * Fortunatus (1st century), martyr ...

), only to find that a man without a shadow is shunned by human societies. The woman he loves rejects him, and he himself becomes consumed with guilt. Yet when the devil wants to return his shadow to him in exchange for his soul, Schlemihl, as the friend of God, rejects the proposal and throws away the bottomless wallet besides. He seeks refuge in nature and travels around the world in scientific exploration, with the aid of seven-league boots. When overtaken with sickness, he is reconciled with his fellow men, who take care of him, and in regard for his sickness do not look for his shadow. Finally, however, he returns to his studies of nature and finds his deepest satisfaction in communion with nature and his own better self.

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 the

idiom An idiom is a phrase or expression that typically presents a figurative, non-literal meaning attached to the phrase; but some phrases become figurative idioms while retaining the literal meaning of the phrase. Categorized as formulaic language, ...

"don't sell your shadow to the Devil." The story popularized the

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

word '' schlemiel'' for a hopelessly incompetent person, a bungler.

Later retellings

The story was performed on American television, in a 1953 episode of ''Favorite Story'', starring

DeForest Kelley Jackson DeForest Kelley (January 20, 1920 – June 11, 1999), known to colleagues as "Dee", was an American actor, screenwriter, poet, and singer. He was known for his roles in Westerns and as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy of the in the televisio ...

as the title character. Georges Schwizgebel's 2004 paint-on-glass animation ''L'Homme sans ombre'' (''The Man With No Shadow'') portrays a slight variation on the original story: after being rejected by his lover and society, the main character returns to the devil. Rather than getting back his shadow, he trades his riches for a pair of seven-league boots and travels the world in search of a place where he will be accepted without a shadow. In the end, he becomes a

Wayang , also known as ( jv, ꦮꦪꦁ, translit=wayang), is a traditional form of puppet theatre play originating from the Indonesian island of Java. refers to the entire dramatic show. Sometimes the leather puppet itself is referred to as . Perfor ...

shadow puppeteer in Indonesia because he can manipulate the puppets directly without affecting their silhouettes.

Editions

References

External links