The Nutcracker and the Mouse King
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"The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" () is a
fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...
written in 1816 by Prussian author E. T. A. Hoffmann, in which a young girl's favorite
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
toy A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and p ...
, the Nutcracker, comes alive and, after defeating the evil Mouse King in battle, whisks her away to a magical kingdom populated by
doll A doll is a physical model, model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and ...
s. The story was originally published in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
in German as part of the collection (''Children's Stories'') by . In 1892, the
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n
composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popula ...
and
choreographer Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...
s
Marius Petipa Marius Ivanovich Petipa (; born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa; 11 March 1818) was a French and Russian ballet dancer, pedagogue and choreographer. He is considered one of the most influential ballet masters and choreographers in ballet history ...
and
Lev Ivanov Lev Ivanovich Ivanov (; 2 March 1834, Moscow – 24 December 1901, Saint Petersburg) was a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer and later, Second Balletmaster of the Mariinsky Ballet, Imperial Ballet. As a performer with the Mariinsky Ballet, ...
turned
Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...
's adaptation of the story into the
ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
''
The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' (, ), Opus number, Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a '; ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination featuring a Nutcracker doll. Th ...
''.


Summary

On Christmas Eve, at the Stahlbaum house, Marie and her siblings receive several gifts. Their godfather, Drosselmeier (Droßelmeier), a supreme court justice, clockmaker and inventor, gifts them a clockwork castle with mechanical people moving around inside. However, they quickly tire of it. Marie notices a nutcracker, and asks who he belongs to. Her father says that he belongs to all of them, but since she is so fond of him, she will be his special caretaker. The siblings pass him amongst themselves, cracking nuts, until Marie's brother, Fritz, tries to crack one that is too big and hard, and the nutcracker's jaw breaks. Marie, upset, bandages him with a ribbon from her dress. When it is time for bed, the children put their Christmas gifts away in the cabinet where they keep their toys. Marie begs to stay up with the nutcracker a while longer and is allowed to do so. She tells him that Drosselmeier will fix his jaw. At this, his face seems to scowl and his eyes flash. She is frightened, but decides it was her imagination. The grandfather clock begins to chime, and Marie believes that she sees Drosselmeier sitting on top of it, preventing it from striking. Mice begin to come out from beneath the floorboards, including the seven-headed Mouse King. The dolls in the toy cabinet come alive, the nutcracker taking command and leading them into battle after putting Marie's ribbon on. They are overwhelmed by the mice. Marie, seeing the nutcracker about to be taken prisoner, throws her slipper at the Mouse King. She then faints into the toy cabinet's glass door, cutting her arm badly. Marie wakes up in her bed the next morning with her arm bandaged and tries to tell her parents what happened the previous night, but they do not believe her. Days later, Drosselmeier arrives with the nutcracker, whose jaw has been fixed, and tells Marie the story of Princess Pirlipat and Madam Mouserinks, known as the Queen of the Mice, which explains how nutcrackers came to be and why they look the way they do. Madam Mouserinks tricked Pirlipat's mother into allowing her and her children to gobble up the lard that was supposed to go into the sausage that the King was to eat at dinner. The King, enraged at Madam Mouserinks for spoiling his supper and upsetting his wife, had his court inventor, Drosselmeier, create traps for the Mouse Queen and her children. Madam Mouserinks, angered at the death of her children, swore that she would take revenge on Pirlipat. Pirlipat's mother surrounded her with cats which were supposed to be kept awake by being constantly stroked. The nurses who did so fell asleep, however, and Madam Mouserinks magically turned Pirlipat ugly, giving her a huge head, a wide grinning mouth, and a cottony beard like a nutcracker. The King blamed Drosselmeier and gave him four weeks to find a cure. He went to his friend, the court astrologer. They read Pirlipat's horoscope and told the King the only way to cure her was to have her eat the nut Crackatook (Krakatuk), which must be cracked and handed to her by a man who had never been shaved nor worn boots since birth. He must, without opening his eyes, hand her the kernel and take seven steps backwards without stumbling. The King sent Drosselmeier and the astrologer out to look for both. The two men journeyed for years without finding either the nut or the man. They then returned home to Nuremberg and found the nut with Drosselmeier's cousin, a puppet-maker. His son turned out to be the young man needed to crack the Crackatook. The King promised Pirlipat's hand to whoever could crack the nut. Many men broke their teeth on it before Drosselmeier's nephew cracked it easily and handed it to Pirlipat, who swallowed it and became beautiful again. But Drosselmeier's nephew, on his seventh backward step, stepped on Madam Mouserinks and stumbled. The curse fell on him, making him a nutcracker. Pirlipat, seeing how ugly he had become, refused to marry him and banished him from the castle. Marie, while she recuperates from her wound, hears the Mouse King, son of the deceased Madam Mouserinks, whispering in the middle of the night, threatening to bite the nutcracker to pieces unless she gives him her sweets and dolls. She sacrifices them, but he wants more and more. Finally, the nutcracker says that if she gets him a sword, he will kill the Mouse King. Fritz gives her the one from his toy
hussars A hussar, ; ; ; ; . was a member of a class of light cavalry, originally from the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry ...
. The next night, the nutcracker visits Marie's room bearing the Mouse King's seven crowns, and takes her to the doll kingdom by way of the sleeve of her father's coat. After viewing the magical scenes there, she seems to rise higher and higher; but then suddenly falls and finds herself back in bed. She tries to tell her mother what happened, but again she is not believed, even when she shows her parents the seven crowns, and is forbidden to speak of her "dreams" anymore. Marie sits in front of the cabinet one day while Drosselmeier is repairing one of her father's clocks. She swears to the Nutcracker that if he were ever really real, she would never behave as Pirlipat did, and would love him whatever he looked like. Then, there is a bang and she faints, falling off her chair. Her mother comes in to announce that Drosselmeier's nephew has arrived from Nuremberg. By swearing that she would love him in spite of his looks, Marie broke the curse and made him human again. He asks her to marry him. She accepts, and in a year and a day, he takes her away to the doll kingdom, where she is crowned queen.


Publication history

The story was first published in 1816 in German in Berlin by in a volume entitled , (''Children's Stories'') which also included tales by Carl Wilhelm Contessa and Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué. It consisted of 14 chapters, perhaps intended to be read over the 14 days between Christmas and Epiphany. The title page included a colored plate of the Mouse King from a drawing by Hoffmann himself. Chapters 7 to 9 are known as the ''Fairytale of the Hard Nut'', the story within the story. This is the story which Godfather Drosselmeier tells to Marie over three nights following the battle of the Nutcracker and Mouse King. It describes the birth and enchantment of Princess Pirlipat, and continues until Drosselmeier's nephew breaks the enchantment, restores her beauty and is transformed into the nutcracker. This part of the story is typically omitted from ballet adaptations. The story was republished in the first volume of Hoffmann’s short story collection, . It was preceded and followed by a conversation among four fictionalized "Serapion Brethren" about its merits. It had the same chapter structure as the original, but Hoffmann's illustration was omitted. The Serapion Brethren was the name of a literary club that Hoffmann formed in 1818. ''Nutcracker'' was reprinted in Germany again in 1840 with the title (loosely translated into English): ''Nutcracker and Mouse King, a most adorable children's fairy tale after E. T. A. Hoffmann with the latest picture delights in 10 finely illuminated copper plates after original drawings by P. C. Geißler''; i.e., . David Blamires (lecturer at Manchester University’s Department of German Language and Literature) observed that
William Makepeace Thackeray William Makepeace Thackeray ( ; 18 July 1811 – 24 December 1863) was an English novelist and illustrator. He is known for his Satire, satirical works, particularly his 1847–1848 novel ''Vanity Fair (novel), Vanity Fair'', a panoramic portra ...
was the first to publish ''The Fairytale of the Hard Nut'' portion of the story in English, which he titled ''The History of Krakatuk''. It appeared in a British newspaper, the National Standard, in 1833. It seemed to be lost but was recovered by Lewis Melville and republished in 1929 in ''Great German Short Stories'' edited by Melville and Reginald Hargreaves. The first full children's version of the story published in Britain was by Ascott R. Hope published by T. Fisher Unwin in 1892 in his ‘Children’s Library’ series. According to Blamires, " opedoes not attempt to explain features of German life that may seem strange to his readers, but instead eliminates them or gives English equivalents". Blamires also described a British adaption called ''Nutcracker and Mouse-King'', which was published by George G. Harrap and Company. He stated that it was published in 1919, in the aftermath of WWI; however, according to the printed date on the publication page, it was actually published in 1916 during the war. In any event, all German references were removed, as was the trend at the time. Hoffmann was not mentioned on the title page, only E. Gordon Browne, the adaptor. Fritz and Marie were replaced with Dick and Molly; Godfather Drosselmeier with Uncle Christopher; etc. Four color plates by Florence Anderson depicted a pretty side to the story as opposed to the starker engravings by Bertall (illustrator for the Dumas adaptation), which Blamires deemed more consistent with the darker aspect of Hoffmann's tale. Hoffmann's ''Nutcracker'' was not as extensively published in Britain in the 19th century as other German stories. Blamires speculated that it was not sufficiently educational or moralistic for the time. The story was published in full in 1853 in the U.S. in a translation by Mrs. St. Simon in New York by D. Appleton and Company with wood-engraved illustrations by Albert H. Jocelyn. An English version was published in 1886 in a translation of the first volume of ''Die Serapionsbrüder'' by Alexander Ewing. The preface to this translation states that the already well-known story was only familiar to English readers at the time indirectly, through a secondary translation of an earlier French edition. In 1930, an edition of "The Nutcracker and the Mouse-King" was published by Whitman and Company in Chicago in a translation by Louise F. Encking with illustrations by Emma L. Brock. Encking was Supervisor of Children's works at the Minneapolis public library at the time. Brock, also a librarian, went on to become a prolific writer of children's books. Their version omitted Hoffmann's ending in which Marie's love restores Nutcracker to his human form as well as their return to the Kingdom of the Dolls. Ewing's translation was included in the 1967 collection ''The Best Tales of Hoffmann'' released by
Dover Publications Dover Publications, also known as Dover Books, is an American book publisher founded in 1941 by Hayward and Blanche Cirker. It primarily reissues books that are out of print from their original publishers. These are often, but not always, book ...
. In 1996, Dover also published a version of the translation, abridged by Bob Blaisdell with illustrations by Thea Kliros, as ''The Story of the Nutcracker''. It was part of the Dover Children's Thrift Classics series. It contained 30 new illustrations. Blaisdell and Kliros were both prolific contributors to this genre. Ewing's translation was also included in the 2018 collection, ''The Nutcracker, The Sandman, and other Dark Tales: The Best Weird Tales and Fantasies of E. T. A. Hoffmann'' introduced and edited by Grant Kellermeyer by Oldstyle Tales Press, with gothic-style sketches by Kellermeyer including one of a sinister Godfather Drosselmeier holding Nutcracker. Kellermeyer is a publisher and contributor to many publications primarily dealing with classic ghost and horror stories. According to the Oldstyle Tales Press website, he is its founder and editor. Lisbeth Zwerger, winner of the
Hans Christian Andersen Award The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are two literary awards given by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), recognising one living author and one living illustrator for their "lasting contribution to children's literature". Th ...
for Illustration for her lasting contribution to children's literature, illustrated a German language edition by Neugebauer (Salzburg, Austria), 1979. These illustrations were subsequently used in an English translation by
Anthea Bell Anthea Bell (10 May 1936 – 18 October 2018) was an English translator of literary works, including children's literature, from French, German and Danish language, Danish. These include ''The Castle (novel), The Castle'' by Franz Kafka, ''Aus ...
as ''The Nutcracker and the Mouse-King'', by Picture Book Studio (Boston Massachusetts), 1983. She also did an entirely new set of illustrations for a young children's book adaption by Susanne Koppe as ''The Nutcracker'' by North-South (New York), 2004. A modern translation by
Ralph Manheim Ralph Frederick Manheim (April 4, 1907 – September 26, 1992) was an American translator of German and French literature, as well as occasional works from Dutch, Polish and Hungarian. He was one of the most acclaimed translators of the 20th ...
, described as one of the most acclaimed translators of the 20th century, with illustrations by
Maurice Sendak Maurice Bernard Sendak (; June 10, 1928 – May 8, 2012) was an American author and illustrator of children's books. Born to Polish-Jewish parents, his childhood was impacted by the death of many of his family members during the Holocaust. Send ...
was published in 1984 by Crown Publishers. A New York Times article described the translation as fervent and fiery yet direct. Sendak, known for his depiction of strong, independent children did so in his illustrations of ''Nutcracker'': On the other hand, one of his illustrations was particularly disturbing. It depicted snarling Madam Mouserinks with sharp teeth and claws hovering over a terrified baby, Princess Pirlipat. The Los Angeles Times reprinted this illustration in an article about Sendak. It quoted him as follows: "I like kids to be heroes. I am conscious of wanting to do that ... So if you write books for them, you want to remind them that they have courage". Sendak had been asked by Choreographer Kent Stowell to design and dress a new ballet production of ''Nutcracker'' for the
Pacific Northwest Ballet Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) is an American ballet company based in Seattle, Washington. It is said to have the highest per capita attendance in the United States, with 11,000 subscribers in 2004. The company consists of 49 dancers and hosts ...
and the book grew out of that collaboration.
Jack Zipes Jack David Zipes (born June 7, 1937) is a literary scholar and author. He is a professor emeritus in the Department of German, Nordic, Slavic and Dutch at the University of Minnesota. Zipes is known for his work on fairy tales, folklore, crit ...
, a scholar specializing in fairy tales and German literature, wrote the introduction to versions of the story by E. T. A. Hoffmann and Alexandre Dumas published by
Penguin Classics Penguin Classics is an imprint (trade name), imprint of Penguin Books under which classic works of literature are published in English language, English, Spanish language, Spanish, Portuguese language, Portuguese, and Korean language, Korean amon ...
in 2007. Joachim Neugroschel, a multilingual literary translator, translated both versions. Zipes included a short biography of Hoffmann in which he explored his musical and literary motivations.


Antecedents

Kellermeyer's introduction to ''Nutcracker'' notes that Hoffmann built on the legacy of European folk lore classics, most notably, ''
King Thrushbeard "King Thrushbeard" () or the haughty princess (German: ''die hochmütige Prinzessin'') is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm (KHM 52). It is of Aarne–Thompson type 900. Origin The tale was published by the Brothers Grimm i ...
'' ("König Drosselbart"), the apparent source of Drosselmeier’s name. In this story the daughter of the king rejects various suitors, including King Thrushbeard who she considers ugly. After she is tricked into marrying him, she learns to love him in spite of his looks, just as Marie falls in love with the ugly Nutcracker (who also has a weird beard). David Blamires (lecturer at Manchester University’s Department of German Language and Literature) noted a correspondence between the Mouse King and the "dragon representing evil incarnate in the Book of Revelations (12:3)", which also includes the seven-headed beast. The number seven appears numerous times in the book. For example, the Mouse King has seven crowns, and the Mouse Queen has seven children who are killed after being caught in Drosselmeier's traps. Christian Zacharias Drosselmeier, clockmaker Drosselmeier's cousin, has the Krakatuk in his possession for seven years. Drosselmeier's nephew is required to take seven steps backward without stumbling after giving the shelled Krakatuk to Pirlipat. However, he trips while taking the seventh step when he steps on the Mouse Queen. Furthermore, Marie in the story, and listener to it, is seven years old, although in the Dumas version her age was changed to seven and a half, which spoiled the parallel somewhat. Hoffmann uses one of the "most widely diffused folktale-types, 'The Dragon Slayer'" in which the male hero is wounded while trying to save the princess. He kills the dragon, and after more drama, he marries her. However, in Hoffmann's version, Nutcracker is the initial intended victim, Marie participates in the battle in which she saves Nutcracker, and both are wounded. The Mouse Queen (Madam Mouserinks), ruler of a mouse empire, also appears to represent a mythological/literary type. In a PhD thesis and journal article, Ronald J. Elardo noted that she lives with her family under the hearth in the castle kitchen. Thus, "The realm of the Mouse-Queen fuses the chthonic he realm of the underworldand the maternal. The matriarchal society under the hearth obviously portrays an existence in and of the underworld. But the hearth depicts the presence of a very ancient, maternal symbol". Mice also had a frightening association with disease. He concluded that her species and her home qualify the Mouse Queen as "a representative of the psychic 'other world', the unconscious" which he equates with the " Eternal Feminine" of Goethe's Faust II; but not the "a damsel and a demon" type as in other Hoffmann tales. The Mouse Queen is able to speak with the upper world Queen and addresses her as "Sister". She convinces the Queen to give her the lard she craves, perhaps by way of the Queen's inner voice. In support of this idea, Elardo cited several examples from German literature (available to Hoffmann at the time) of mice as representative of the inner voice or soul. A key aspect of Hoffmann's tale is the appearance of characters with the same name, for example, Godfather Drosselmeier, story teller, and Drosselmeier, the court clockmaker, and various other Drosselmeiers in his story. A similar multiplicity of names occurs in ''The Four Facardins'' a book by Anthony Hamilton which Marie's mother reads to her as she lies in bed recovering from her wound. A feature of "Nutcracker" which sets it apart from other Children's fairytales at the time was an avoidance of moralizing intended to turn children into little adults or to frighten them about what would happen if they continued to behave badly from an adult perspective. A prominent example of such a story is ''
Struwwelpeter ''Der Struwwelpeter'' ('Shock-Headed Peter') is an 1845 German children's book written and illustrated by Heinrich Hoffmann. It comprises ten illustrated and rhymed stories, mostly about children. Each cautionary tale has a clear moral lesson ...
'' by Heinrich Hoffmann (not to be mistaken with E. T. A. Hoffman). In one of the cautionary tales in ''Struwwelpeter'' a mother tells her son not to suck his thumb. When he persists a fleet-footed tailor cuts it off with large sheers. However, ''Nutcracker'' exemplified friendship, loyalty and resourcefulness. E. T. A. Hoffmann's more subtle approach may have been inspired by
Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Republic of Geneva, Genevan philosopher (''philosophes, philosophe''), writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment through ...
who promoted more lenient child-rearing practices. He advocated for "strategies less overt and designed to conceal their aim rather than reveal it."


Motivation

According to Jack Zipes, Hoffmann was "an accomplished artist who became a gallant man-about-town". He had composed an opera, directed plays, and was a "disciplined writer, constantly creating new types of tales and novels". His official occupation was that of a jurist and he eventually became a judge. While he felt confined by his bourgeois life, he was able to escape it through his imaginative writing. His stories typically began by reporting mundane events which were quickly upset by a confused conflation of reality and fantasy that was confounding to the characters and the reader alike. "Nutcracker" for example, begins with a description of a familiar scene of children waiting to enter a room full of Christmas decorations and toys. But after Marie falls in love with the Nutcracker, one of their gifts, she is propelled into a strange fantasy world imperceptible to the rest of her family (other than Godfather Drosselmeier), which they refuse to believe. Georges Zaragoza (Professor Emeritus, University of Burgundy, Multidisciplinary Center for Texts and Cultures) reflected on Hoffmann's approach to framing. He included a passage from ''The Sandman'' in which Nathaniel, the protagonist, reflects on three ways to begin a story. The first approach can be described as the "once-upon-a-time" opening. The second approach is to provide detailed descriptions of time and place where the fantastical elements of the story originate. The third approach is to plunge into the fantasy straightaway. The first he concludes is too boring. The second and third have merits but Hoffmann clearly preferred the second. Zaragoza cited three examples: ''The Mines of Falun'', set in Sweden in July; ''The Golden Pot'', set in Dresden on Ascension Day; and ''Princess Brambilla'' set in Rome at "the twilight" of the eve of Carnival. Hoffmann's ''Nutcracker'', of course is a prime example; however, in his adaption, Dumas subsequently essentially reverted to the "once-upon-a-time" frame to better comply with his intent to tell a tale ''for'' children rather than ''about'' children. There is an autobiographical element to the story which is modeled on the family of his close friend Julius Hitzig. In 1816, Hitzig had three children, Louise, Marie and Fritz. Like Drosselmeier, Hoffmann gave them an illuminated castle which he made himself. Furthermore, he was a jurist and sensitive about his appearance as was Drosselmeier. His friend was prudish and very strict with the children, which was the norm at the time. Hoffmann conveys this my naming Marie's family Stahlbaum or "Steel Tree" signifying the rigidity of the family dynamic. Louise, the oldest child, has begun to lose her childish creativity and does not feature in the story very much. However, this story is not just about his friends family. It is part of a larger project which Hoffmann described in the frame for the story included in ''The Serapion Brethren'' (''Die Serapions-Brüder''). The stories are discussed by fictional members of the real-life Serapion Brethren. According to Zaragoza, it represents a discussion of Hoffmann with himself. The two main participants in the discussion of ''Nutcracker'' are Lothair (Hoffmann, the writer) and Theodor (Hoffmann, the theoretician of the tale). Lothair says he has written a book for children. He recites the story and asks for the opinion of other members which leads to the following exchange: In other words, he was seeking to create a new and substantive fairytale designed for clever children to spur their imagination. Presumably "papa" could gain insights from reading it as well. He goes on to say that he had first told the story to his sister's children; and they were delighted. Fritz was especially enthusiastic about the description of the toy soldiers and the battle. As the battle is being lost the Nutcracker shouts "A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!" a quote from Shakespeare's ''Richard III'' which Fritz knew nothing about but that did not dampen his enthusiasm. Another member comments: To which, Lothair declares that while a good work flashes out in all directions, it must contain "a firm kernel within it". By "very rational people" Hoffmann seems to be referring to the smug and narrow-minded bourgeois, who he referred to as "philistines". According to artist and German literary scholar, Peter Bruning, he developed an antipathy for such people, when during an earlier period in his life, he more or less voluntarily became a sort of bohemian. During that period, he gave music lessons to the children of rich burgers to earn a living. However, he was resentful of the parent's superior attitude and was also upset by the "bourgeois in himself, as his own alter ego". He was also upset that a close female friend was forced to marry a "wealthy and vulgar merchant" by her family. This led to open hostility in some of his stories; but his criticism was better natured and humorous in his first fairytale ''The Golden Pot: A Modern Fairy Tale'' (''Der goldne Topf. Ein Märchen aus der neuen Zeit''), 1814. ''Nutcracker'' followed in the same vein. The question of whether Hoffmann's ''Nutcracker'' is a tale for children or about children seems ambiguous. Perhaps it is both. Hoffmann refused to conclude. However, Zaragoza stated his opinion, based on several lines of evidence, that it is primarily about children, i.e. intended for adult readers. Bruning also noted that Hoffmann was preoccupied with Schelling’s theory of the world soul in which nature emerges from the spirit. In particular he embraced the idea that only artists could possess the intuitive knowledge of the absolute in nature; i.e.: the "contradiction between nature and spirit reaches a state of harmony in the process of artistic creation". However, he preferred to adopt
Gotthilf Heinrich von Schubert Gotthilf Heinrich von Schubert (26 April 1780, in Hohenstein-Ernstthal – 30 June 1860, in Laufzorn, a village in Oberhaching) was a German physician, Natural philosophy, naturalist and Romantic psychology, psychologist. Biography He began his ...
, interpretation of Schelling. Hoffmann adopted Schubert's world view so thoroughly that they have been referred to as "kindred spirits". They believed the quest for transcendence can have tragic consequences. Complete abandonment of the mundane can lead to rejection and insanity. However, a harmonious balance of the two realms can be attained in the life of a fortunate individual. These interpretation found their "ultimate poetic expression in ''The Golden Pot''. This story ends in triumph. Although temporary disbelief in the supernatural causes Anselmus (the protagonist) to be trapped in a glass ink bottle, he realizes the folly of abandoning the spiritual for mundane pleasure seeking (which is akin to unknowingly being trapped in a glass bottle) and enters "Atlantis the world of poetry". In "Nutcracker" young Marie is also able to achieve transcendence with the encouragement of Godfather Drosselmeier (Hoffmann's alter ego) and she is able to save Nutcracker whereas Drosselmeier himself could not. He spoke to Marie as follows: At the end, the narrator suggests transcendence might also be attained by childlike adults "if you only have the right eyes to see them with". On the other hand, according to Horst S. Daemmrich (German literature scholar and self-professed existentialist), in contrast with Marie's joy and marvel as she tours Candyland, there is an often overlooked dark side to the narrator's description. The inhabitants of Candyland suffer from toothaches and are forced to fend off insects who attempt to eat their candy homes. The dancers in the ballet that she views there resemble that of Drosselmeier's mechanical dancers which boringly circle around in his toy castle. Furthermore, an omniscient "Confectioner" covers the "tragic dimensions" of Candyland (Daemmrich's assessment) with frosting. He states that "Hoffmann lacks all shallow optimism" and that "Hoffmann seriously questions the mission of art and the artist in ''Nutcracker and the King of Mice''". Daemmrich's analysis of Hoffmann's work indicates that "Hoffmann is a far more ambiguous, complex, and generally modern author than were his German contemporaries of the Romantic period." Michael Grant Kellermeyer also called attention to darker interpretations of Nutcracker. One of the most unsettling of these was a comment regarding the last paragraph: Even, conventional interpretations have highlighted the ambiguity of the ending: "The marriage can be read simultaneously as a fairy-tale happy ending in the fantastical world, and as a yet unfulfilled hope ... in the real world". Kellermeyer's interpretation of the ambiguity goes well beyond that. He noted that the celestial description of Marie's wedding and kingdom, qualified by "they say", could be a euphemistic way of referring to Marie's death perhaps equivalent to saying that she went to a better place. He suggested that: While hinting at ambiguities such as these would seem out of place in a story that Hoffmann intended for young children (even Marie Hitzig herself, the daughter of his friend) he was prone to include story elements beyond their understanding, for example the reference to ''Richard III'' noted above. It suggests that he included a hidden layer of meaning intended for adult readers or perhaps to satisfy his artistic sensibilities. Ritchie Robertson, who translated and commented on a number of Hoffmann's stories noted a progression in outlook in Hoffmann's works. ''The Golden Pot'' (1814) (also ''Nutcracker'' 1816) was written early in his romantic period and was optimistic about the potential for transcendence. ''The Sandman'' (1817) was a "negative counterpart" in which the protagonist's immersion in imagination led to madness and suicide. In '' Master Flea'' (1822), there is a rejection of fantasy. Finally, in ''My Cousin's Corner Window'' (1822), written on his death bed, there is no supernatural component at all, instead there was a focus on the here and now as seen from the crippled poet's window overlooking the center of Berlin. This progression followed a trend in German literature away from
Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...
to Biedermeier, an exploration of the modest possibilities of happiness available in one's immediate world after the devastation of the Napoleonic War.


Psychological perspectives

Lisa Zunshine, a scholar of cognitive literary theory, began her analysis of ''Nutcracker'' with the inference that the Mouse King was inspired by
Albrecht Dürer Albrecht Dürer ( , ;; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer or Duerer, was a German painter, Old master prin ...
's (a favorite of Hoffmann)
Saint George and the Dragon In a legend, Saint Georgea soldier venerated in Christianity—defeats a dragon. The story goes that the dragon originally extorted tribute from villagers. When they ran out of livestock and trinkets for the dragon, they started giving up a huma ...
. Saint George, she wrote, was a stand-in for Christ who was often depicted in combat with "basilisks, dragons, and many-headed serpents”. Presumably her parents would have found it acceptable if Marie expressed belief in Saint George and the Dragon. However, they were adamant in refusing to accept her experience with Nutcracker and the Mouse king. Zunshine also noted that her parents fostered a belief in the myth that the "Christ Child" brought the gifts under the Christmas tree, which was the German tradition at the time. Despite the acceptability of some mystical beliefs, her father threatened severe punishment if she did not disavow her fantastic experience, "Listen, Marie. Forget about your antics and your fantasies! If you ever repeat that the deformed and simpleminded Nutcracker is the nephew of Herr Supreme Court Counselor, I'll hurl all your dolls out the window". Marie tenaciously gave preference to her "lived experience" over that of her parents' explanation that she was delirious. Zunshine noted that modern cognitive studies confirm that children her age are skeptical of authority figures in similar circumstances. Also, while Godfather Drosselmeier was initially supportive of Marie, he eventually betrayed her by calling her descriptions of the battle "stuff and nonsense!". This is also consistent with cognitive theory which posits that adults often unconsciously adapt their beliefs to be consistent with that of their peers. She credits Hoffmann and his audience with realistic expectation long before the development of "cognitive psychology through conceptual frameworks available to them, which is to say, by evoking the unfettered imagination of the child and the hopeless philistinism of the parent". Elizabeth Elam Roth, a dance critic, explored what she perceived as
Freudian Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating pathologies seen as originating from conflicts in t ...
elements in Hoffmann's story which were amplified in
Mikhail Baryshnikov Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov ( rus, Михаил Николаевич Барышников, p=mʲɪxɐˈil bɐ'rɨʂnʲɪkəf; ; born January 27, 1948) is a Latvian and American dancer, choreographer, and actor. He was the preeminent male ...
’s ballet where Clara (Marie renamed) is a young adult dancer costumed to look younger. Baryshnikov depicted Clara's growing sexual awareness, which is found in Hoffmann's Maria, although less obvious, for example: "When Marie understands ... that her nutcracker toy is actually the transmogrified nephew of Godpapa Drosselmeier, she immediately stops cuddling and fondling him as she does her other dolls, realizing that this behavior is unseemly." The sexual themes are even more explicit in the Maurice Sendak’s Nutcracker ballet where Clare is twelve years old rather than seven. Although born about 80 years before Freud, Hoffmann seems to have Freudian insights. Roth noted, for example, that oral gratification, central to infants attachment to the one who feeds it, is a child's first libidinal instinct. "Had Hoffmann not been a proto-Freudian, he perhaps would have chosen an ordinary toy soldier, even a teddy bear, to come to life ather than a nutcrackerwhose reason for being is the oral task of cracking nuts and feeding them to Marie and her family". Freud himself commented on Hoffmann's insights into unconscious motivations in his analysis of Hoffmann's novella ''The Sandman'', although he did not reference ''Nutcracker''.


Literary devices

''Nutcracker'' is a "child-friendly analog" to Hoffmann's disturbing fantasies for adults in which the protagonists retreated so far into their realized worlds that they became misfits and outcasts. In order to make his tale more appropriate and engaging for children, he employed a number of literary devices that have become foundational to children's fantasy literature. In a journal article, Maria Tartar described a number of the innovations in ''Nutcracker'' and cited well known authors who used them knowingly or not: Portal fantasy. The portal fantasy was probably the most influential of his innovations. In ''Nutcracker'' Marie and Drosselmeier's nephew enter the Kingdom of the Dolls by way of the sleeve of her father's fur coat which they reach by entering his wardrobe. The precedent for C.S. Lewis's ''
The Chronicles of Narnia ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' is a series of seven portal fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, the series is set in the fictional realm of Narnia (wor ...
'' is unmistakable: Lewis's Lucy is transported to Narnia after entering her father's wardrobe as she feels his fur coat against her face. The rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland is a world famous example. In J.K. Rowling's
Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
books, the children commuted to Hogwarts by way of Platform nine and three-quarters and the red steam engine. Although not specifically mentioned by Tartar, a story by L. Frank Baum and W.W. Denslow, '' Dot and Tot of Merryland'', has a number of parallels with ''Nutcracker'', including a portal. The children, Dot and Tot, enter a fantasy land when their boat drifts into a side channel that takes them to a tunnel guarded by the Watchman. They persuade him to let them in and they pass through the portal into the seven astonishing valleys of Merryland. Marie effortlessly becomes small enough to ascend the stairs into the sleeve portal together with Nutcracker. (The two are depicted as about the same size by Encking and Brock.) The narrator simply takes it for granted. Marie does not share Alice's need for pills or potions to change size, as in ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''. Neither is her young age a barrier to her marrying Drosselmeier, then the restored King of the Kingdom of the Dolls, and becoming Queen. Again, the narrator takes no notice of any barrier. Eye candy. As Marie (pampered daughter of a bourgeoisie family) tours the Kingdom of the Dolls with Drosselmeier's nephew, she was thrilled to see sugar coated fruits. houses shuttered by sweets, lemonade fountains and rivers, etc. Such sites were also sure to thrill young children listening to the story. Similar enticements were used in Roald Dahl's ''
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1964 children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka. The story was origina ...
'', although in his tale, Charlie is a starving waif who desperately wants "CHOCOLATE" rather than cabbage soup. Charlie tours the chocolate factory with four other children who succumb to the temptations of gluttony, gum chewing, avarice and TV addiction. Charlie is able to resist the temptations and is rewarded with an inheritance of the factory itself. Thus, it is more a cautionary tale like ''Struwwelpeter'' than an exploration of the "conflicts between the banality of everyday life and the aesthetic pleasures of art" as is ''Nutcracker''. In ''Dot and Tot'', the children enter a valley made of candy, where even the inhabitants are candy, which has amusing consequences. For example, Tot bites off a thumb and two fingers of "candy man", which he doesn't seem to mind in fact he is proud that Tot found them delicious. Aesthetic pleasures. As described by Tartar, Hoffmann uses candy as a "gateway drug". "Once arieabandons the gluttonous pleasures of sweets, she enters a verdant landscape that captures the synesthetic wonders of a fully realized natural landscape". Dot and Tot also have an enriching experience. Dot in particular returns more energetic and healthier. However, Dahl's Charlie simply makes a transition from "poverty to plenty", there is no evident spiritual or intellectual transcendence. Nonsense. At the beginning of his tale of the hard nut (the tale within the tale) Godfather Drosselmeier recites a long series of nonsense clock sounds intermixed with obscure references to the battle with the Mouse King: Hoffmann seems to use the strange almost hypnotic chanting to signal a transformation from the banal to the fantastic. Famously, nonsense was fundamental to the works of Victorian authors Lewis Carrol (eg. Through the Looking Glass) and George MacDonald (eg. The Princess and the Goblin) although they were primarily influenced by
Novalis Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg (2 May 1772 – 25 March 1801), pen name Novalis (; ), was a German nobility, German aristocrat and polymath, who was a poet, novelist, philosopher and Mysticism, mystic. He is regarded as an inf ...
(whom Hoffmann also admired). MacDonald's Phantastes included an epigram by Novalis that seems to indicate his belief that "anarchy’s role in the nonsensical sa necessary step in achieving greater harmony". In any event, the rhythmic repetition of sounds in songs by MacDonald's young hero, Curdie, to deter the Goblins is reminiscent of Drosselmeier's chant. In the U.S., Baum and Denslow have clowns sing nonsense songs to Dot and Tot in Merryland's Clown Country. Their houses have platforms on top where they perform. Invitation to participate. The self-referential narrator in ''Nutcracker'' addresses his audience and makes a request: "I turn to you, gentle reader or listenerFritz, Theodor, Ernst he last two are Hoffmann's own namesr whatever your name may be, and I picture you vividly at your last Christmas table. You will then envisage how the children halted, in silence and with shining eyes" The children listeners (and "those who have eyes to see") are thus invited to use their imagination to participate in the story creationto use their minds eye to create (as in the ending of "Nutcracker") "the most splendid and wonderous things". No return. It is the norm in Children's stories of fantasy places, that the children protagonists return home after their visit, whether it be to "Wonderland", "Neverland" or "Merryland". In ''
The Wizard of Oz ''The Wizard of Oz'' is a 1939 American Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Based on the 1900 novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left pro ...
'', (the movie not the book) Dorothy famously repeats, "There is no place like home" as she clicks her ruby slippers three times and returns home to Kansas. Marie does return after her first tour of the Kingdom of the Dolls. In her ecstasy, she rises higher and higher but then falls and finds herself back in bed. However, after Nutcracker (now the king), takes her there as queen, she never returns. The Encking and Brock version of the story subverts Hoffmann's intent by ending when Marie returns to her bed after her first tour of the Kingdom of the Dolls. Their last paragraph wipes away much of the real-versus-fantasy ambiguity of Hoffmann's story. Hoffmann's final paragraph is simply "And that was the tale of Nutcracker and Mouse King." In their version it is, "Yes, in the merry Christmas time children dream wonderful things. And beautiful dreams are also fairy tales, as is this one of the Nutcracker and the Mouse King". Perhaps this change was made to be more consistent with the sweetened story depicted in the ballet. The introduction states,


Dumas version

Alexandre Dumas, was an admirer of Hoffmann and had published a story about him before adapting Hoffmann's story for a French audience titled ''Histoire d'un casse-noisette'' (''The Tale of the Nutcracker''). The publication date is sometimes given as 1844 or 1845. The copy in the National Library of France has a printed date of 1845 but is stamped 1844, which suggests that it was received prior to the official publication date. The tale previously appeared in a different form in the magazine ''le Nouveau Magasin des Enfants'' in 1944. It was printed in 40 parts each consisting of 16 pages. Dumas's proficiency in German was minimal so he probably relied on an earlier translation into French, most likely a translation by his wife, the actress Ida Ferrier. In a journal article about Dumas Tales for young and old children Cyrille François translated this quote from a contemporary of Dumas "Mrs. Dumas, ... who possesses the German language with perfection, had just read these words on the manuscript’s first leaf: ''Unedited tales of Hoffmann'' ... Mrs. Dumas was so well embraced that she hasted to translate. Her happy husband added commas, corrected some typos, and the ''Unedited tales of Hoffmann'' are now part of the French novelist’s complete works”. According to David Blamires, the Dumas version was an adaptation rather than a translation. The numerous illustrations by Bertall, which appeared on almost every page, sometimes two per page, added to the appeal. In the preface he set up a frame in which he is recounting Hoffmann's story to entertain a group of unruly children. He makes it clear that Hoffmann is the originator. Dumas went on to translate or adapt many other tales for children especially those by the
Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob Grimm, Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm Grimm, Wilhelm (1786–1859), were Germans, German academics who together collected and published folklore. The brothers are among the best-known storytellers of Oral tradit ...
and
Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...
. Most of the tales were first published between 1857 and 1860 in the journal, ''Le Monte-Cristo'' (after his novel). For these tales, as in Nutcracker, he often used the frame in which he tells the story to a group of children. In his paper, François included schematic diagrams of frames used by Anderson and Dumas for comparison (the former was much less elaborate). An English translation was first published in two volumes by Chapman & Hall, London in c. 1847 as ''The History of a Nutcracker''. It included Bertall's illustrations; but the translator was not identified. It was reprinted as the second story in ''A Picture Story Book'' (c. 1875) by George Routledge and Sons. Oxford University Press published a translation by Douglas Munro in 1976 with illustrations by Phillida Gili. Munro was a Dumas scholar who donated his vast collection of Dumas materials to the University of Manchester library. His translation omits Dumas's preface. Key points about the Nuremberg setting and German Christmas customs were moved to Chapter 1. Sarah Ardizzone did a children's book translation in 2015. Ardizzone also wrote an illustrated article for
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
about Dumas and his version of ''Nutcracker'' after the book came out. While Hoffmann was intentionally ambiguous about his intended audience, Dumas was clearly writing for children, as consistent with its publication in ''Le Nouveau magasin des enfants'', a serial devoted to new children's stories. Hoffmann's frame is very detailed concerning the time, place and atmosphere of Marie and Fritz's home. Dumas is somewhat vague and not quite accurate. He does state that the story occurs in Nuremberg, but highlights that it is where toys are made: While the reference to Nuremberg seems specific, the emphasis on toys makes it a sort of "Toy City" and thus consistent to a "once-upon-a-time" frame, quite different from Hoffmann's. Chapter 1 of the Chapman and Hall and George Routledge and Sons, translations from the 1800's, as well as the translation by Ardizzone, actually begin with "Once upon a time". A more literal translation by Neugroschel begins, "Once, in the town of Nuremberg, there lived a highly esteemed presiding judge known as Presiding Judge Silberhaus, which means Silver House"; while a more liberal translation by Munro begins, "There lived in Nuremberg, many years ago, a man of great respectability named Judge Silberhaus", with no explanation about the (perhaps arcane) meaning of the name. Dumas's adaptation has been described as a "sweeter" or "watered-down" version of the Hoffmann original. These assessments appear more appropriate to the ballet derived from Dumas's adaptation than his published story. Choreographer,
Marius Petipa Marius Ivanovich Petipa (; born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa; 11 March 1818) was a French and Russian ballet dancer, pedagogue and choreographer. He is considered one of the most influential ballet masters and choreographers in ballet history ...
, for example, added a scene for the original 1892 ballet in which children performers (Polichinelle) emerge from under Mother Ginger's large skirt to dance with her. However, comparison of the texts indicates that Dumas's version was enhanced with more vivid descriptions and even gruesome details which were also depicted in Bertall's illustrations. Drosselmeier (Dumas calls him Drosselmayer), for example, is described as stooped and wearing an eye patch because "he had lost his right eye because of an arrow shot by a Caribbean chieftain". In another example from the description of the battle with the Mouse King, Dumas includes a description of mice being impaled by a toy cook wheeling a skewer and one of the dolls is disemboweled by the mice. There is also a threat of torture: On a more sentimental note, when Nutcracker was about to be captured by the Mouse King, Marie sobbed, "Oh! My poor Nutcracker! Oh! My poor Nutcracker!", to which Dumas adds: "I love you with all my heart! And now I have to watch you perish like this!” Numerous vibrant details like these were added to Hoffmann's original story. David Blamires pointed out a minor difference between the two versions, perhaps due to a misunderstanding. In Hoffmann's version, the requirement for Princess Pirlipat's rescuer was that he had never worn boots. In Dumas's version, the requirement was reversed, i.e. he must always have worn boots. Presumably the wearing of boots is an indicator of the transition to manhood. Drosselmeier's nephew looks quite dashing in his boots in Bertall's illustration of him as he presents the shelled Krakatuk to Princess Pirlipat. Dumas eventually calls Drosselmeier's nephew "Nathaniel", although Hoffmann does not reveal his given name. Michael Grant Kellermeyer suggested that Hoffmann deliberately blurred the distinction between Godfather Drosselmeier and Drosselmeier's nephew, perhaps expressing a desire to transfer some of Marie's affection for Drosselmeier's nephew to the older man. "Drosselmeier appears to disguise his ego in the figure of Nutcracker, and Marie only breaks the spell by declaring her love for " 'Dear Drosselmeier' (meaning the nephew, but equally applying to the uncle)". Omitting Drosselmeier's nephew's given name seems consistent with that premise. Blamires speculated that the name Nathaniel given by Dumas may have been taken from a character in Hoffmann's The Sandman. In that story, Nathaniel falls in love with a wooden doll who is, or seems, alive. That would be a reversal in the gender roles of Marie and Nutcracker. While Dumas restricted the name Nathaniel to the Tale of the Hard Nut, Munro used the name throughout. Overall, Munro's translation seems a bit more expansive and playful than Neugroschel's. For example, for a humorous passage intended for a French audience about a trial to crack the nut, Neugroschel's translation is: Munro's translation is: Needless to say, there was no reference to a French delegation in Hoffmann's original story or even to a test with five thousand participants. In Dumas's story, Nathaniel Drosselmayer does not participate until the final third test in which he is number11,375 (the final name on the list of participants). Zipes commented that while the Dumas adaptation was "not poorly written", it lacked some of Hoffmann's irony and his ridicule of the bourgeoisie ("philistines") confining attitudes toward child rearing. For example, the Marie's family name Stahlhaus ("Steel House"), suggesting strict rules, was changed to Silberhaus (“Silver House”); and Dumas's Drosselmeier appears to adore the Silberhaus children rather than being ambivalent toward them. On the other hand, translator Sarah Ardizzone was enticed by the Dumas adaptation because the tale was restored to its "oral story-telling tradition". Munro, Dumas scholar and translator, stated that, "as is the usual case when he handled someone else's material, umashas greatly improved upon the original".


Adaptations

* Composer Carl Reinecke created eight pieces based on the story as early as 1855. The pieces would be performed with narration telling a short adaptation of the story. * ''The Nutcracker'' (, 1844 or 1845) is a retelling by
Alexandre Dumas, père Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...
, of the Hoffmann tale, nearly identical in plot. This was the version used as the basis for the 1892 Tchaikovsky ballet ''
The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' (, ), Opus number, Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a '; ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination featuring a Nutcracker doll. Th ...
'', but Marie's name is usually changed to Clara in most subsequent adaptations. * ''The Enchanted Nutcracker'' (1961) is a made-for-TV adaptation of the tale, written in the style of a Broadway musical, starring
Robert Goulet Robert Gérard Goulet (November 26, 1933 October 30, 2007) was an American‐Canadian singer and actor of French-Canadian ancestry. Goulet was born and raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts, until age 13, and then spent his formative years in Canad ...
and
Carol Lawrence Carol Lawrence (born Carolina Maria Laraia; September 5, 1932) is an American actress, appearing in musical theatre and on television. She is known for creating the role of Maria on Broadway theatre, Broadway in the musical ''West Side Story ( ...
. It was shown once as a Christmas special, and never repeated. * ''
The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' (, ), Opus number, Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a '; ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination featuring a Nutcracker doll. Th ...
'' () is a Polish 1967 film directed by
Halina Bielińska Halina Bielińska (14 August 1914 - 13 October 1989) was a Polish film director, animator and screenwriter. Bielińska and Włodzimierz Haupe were among the first Polish animators; their film ''Zmiana warty'' (''Changing of the Guard'') was awar ...
. * It was also adapted into the 1979
stop motion Stop-motion (also known as stop frame animation) is an animated filmmaking and special effects technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exh ...
film '' Nutcracker Fantasy'', the
traditional animation Traditional animation (or classical animation, cel animation, or hand-drawn animation) is an animation technique in which each frame is drawing, drawn by hand. The technique was the dominant form of animation of the 20th century, until there wa ...
films '' Schelkunchik'' (Russia, 1973), and '' The Nutcracker Prince'' (Canada, 1990) and the 2010 film '' The Nutcracker in 3D''. * In 1988, ''
Care Bears Nutcracker Suite ''Care Bears Nutcracker Suite'' is an animated television film featuring the Care Bears characters. Produced by the Canadian animation studio Nelvana in 1988, it is loosely based on the 1892 ''Nutcracker'' ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (ad ...
'' is based on the story. * The story was adapted for BBC Radio in four weekly 30-minute episodes by Brian Sibley, with original music by David Hewson and broadcast 9 December to 30 December 1991 on BBC Radio 5, later re-broadcast 27 December to 30 December 2010 on BBC Radio 7. The cast included Tony Robinson as "The Nutcracker", Edward de Souza as "Drosselmeier", Eric Allen as "The Mouse King", James Grout as "The King" and Angela Shafto as "Mary". * '' The Nutcracker Prince'' is a Canadian 1990 animated film directed by Paul Schibli, with
Kiefer Sutherland Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland (born 21 December 1966) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his starring role as Jack Bauer in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox drama series ''24 (TV series), 24'' (2001–2010, 20 ...
as the Nutcracker/Hans, Megan Follows as Clara, Mike MacDonald as Mouse King,
Peter O'Toole Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was an English actor known for his leading roles on stage and screen. His numerous accolades include the Academy Honorary Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four Golde ...
as old soldier Pantaloon, an old soldier and
Phyllis Diller Phyllis Ada Diller (née Driver; July 17, 1917 – August 20, 2012) was an American stand-up comedian, Actor, actress, author, musician, and visual artist, best known for her Eccentricity (behavior), eccentric stage persona, Self-deprecation, se ...
as Mouse Queen. * In ''
Mickey Mouse Works ''Mickey Mouse Works'' (also known as ''Disney's Mickey Mouse Works'' or simply ''Mouse Works'') is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation featuring Mickey Mouse and his friends in a series of anima ...
'', the
Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white ...
''Nutcracker'' (1999) is an adaptation of this tale, with
Minnie Mouse Minerva "Minnie" Mouse is an American cartoon character created by the Walt Disney Company. The longtime sweetheart of Mickey Mouse, she is an anthropomorphic mouse with white gloves, a red or pink bow, blue (or pink or red) polka-dotted dress, w ...
playing Marie, Mickey playing the Nutcracker, Ludwig Von Drake playing Drosselmeyer, albeit very briefly, and
Donald Duck Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created by the Walt Disney Company. Donald is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit, sailor shirt and cap with ...
playing the Mouse King. Goofy is also featured as an extra. * In 2001, a direct-to-DVD CGI-animated movie, '' Barbie in the Nutcracker'', was made by Mattel Entertainment starring
Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and introduced on March 9, 1959. The toy was based on the German Bild Lilli doll, Bild Lilli doll which Hand ...
in her first-ever movie and features the voices of
Kelly Sheridan Kelly Sheridan (born May 19, 1977) is a Canadian voice actress best known for being the voice for Barbie in the ''Barbie'' film series from 2001 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2015. She had also voiced in numerous animations and English-language dubs ...
as
Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and introduced on March 9, 1959. The toy was based on the German Bild Lilli doll, Bild Lilli doll which Hand ...
/Clara/Sugarplum Princess,
Kirby Morrow Kirby Morrow (August 28, 1973 – November 18, 2020) was a Canadian actor, comedian and writer. In animation, he was known as the voice of Miroku from '' InuYasha'', its four movies, and '' Inuyasha: The Final Act'', Van Fanel from the Ocean ...
as the Nutcracker/Prince Eric, and
Tim Curry Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the musical film '' The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London, 1974 L ...
as the Rat King. *There is a German animated direct-to-video version of the story, ''The Nutcracker and the Mouse King'', released in 2004, which was dubbed into English by
Anchor Bay Entertainment The revived Anchor Bay Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company owned by Umbrelic Entertainment co-founders Thomas Zambeck and Brian Katz. Anchor Bay Entertainment markets and releases "new release genre ...
, with
Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (February 11, 1926November 28, 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. He made his a ...
as The Mouse King and
Eric Idle Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943) is an English actor, comedian, songwriter, musician, screenwriter and playwright. He was a member of the British comedy group Monty Python and the parody rock band the Rutles. Idle studied English at Pembroke Co ...
as Drosselmeyer. It uses only a small portion of Tchaikovsky's music and adapts the Hoffmann story very loosely. The English version was the last project of veteran voice actor,
Tony Pope Anthony J. Pope (March 22, 1947 – February 11, 2004) was an American voice actor. He appeared in over 100 titles during his three-decade career, including as the voice of Goofy from 1977 to 1988 before Bill Farmer took over the role in 1987. ...
, before his death in 2004. * '' Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale'' is a 2007 holiday themed animated direct-to-video film produced by
Warner Bros. Animation Warner Bros. Animation Inc. (abbreviated as WBA) is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Group, a division of Warner Bros., which is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery and serves as the animation divis ...
. * In 2010, '' The Nutcracker in 3D'' – a live-action film, based only loosely on the original story – was released. * In 2012, Big Fish Games published a computer game ''Christmas Stories: The Nutcracker'' inspired by the story. * ''The Nutcracker'' (2013) is
New Line New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
's live-action version of the story reimagined as a drama with action and a love story. It was meant to be directed by
Adam Shankman Adam Michael Shankman (born November 27, 1964) is an American film director, producer, writer, dancer, author, actor, and choreographer. He was a permanent judge on seasons 6–7 of the television program ''So You Think You Can Dance (American TV ...
and written by Darren Lemke. The film's production was halted in late 2012 and as of 2022 it has yet to be made. * Puella Magi Madoka Magica the movie: Rebellion (2013) adapts many of the themes and imagery from the story. Most notably the final battle sequence centering on "The Nutcracker Witch". * In November 2014, The House Theatre of Chicago adapted the story for its West Coast of the United States, West Coast premiere at New Village Arts Theatre that featured Edred Utomi, Brian Patrick Butler and Jennifer Paredes. * On December 25, 2015, German television station ARD aired a new live-action adaptation of the story as part of the (''Six in one Stroke'') television series. *In 2016, the Hallmark Channel presented ''A Nutcracker Christmas'' film that contains a number of selected scenes of the 1892 two-act Nutcracker ballet. * Disney's 2018 live-action film ''The Nutcracker and the Four Realms'' is a retelling of the story; it is directed by Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston. *In 2021 and 2022, PBS broadcast ''The Nutcracker And The Mouse King,'' John Mauceri, John Mauceri's reimagining of the story, narrated by Alan Cumming in concert with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Mauceri presents the entire story, from "how the young man got into the nutcracker" to where the characters are "today", using Tchaikovsky's music to highlight a story very different from the familiar ballet scenario. *In 2023, Erika Johansen's novel ''The Kingdom of Sweets'' was published by Penguin Random House. In this version of the story, Natasha and Clara are twins. Drosselmeyer calls "Clara the light, and Natasha the dark" and Natasha spends her life ignored or given unpleasant gifts unlike her beloved sister. When both girls visit the Sugar Plum Fairy, Natasha finds out she can have anything she wants, for a price, and the result is miserable lives for the family. *In 2005 the fine art painting "The Nutcracker - Christmas Eve Is Here At Last" was created by Elena Vladimir Baranoff, internationally award-winning American master fine artist and founder of Egg Tempera Movement. This original artwork was inspired by E. T. A. Hoffmann's fairy tale novella "Nutcracker and Mouse King" and Pyotr Tchaikovsky's music for the ballet "The Nutcracker".


References


External links

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Illustrated book by Peter Carl Geissler
of the Bamberg State Library * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nutcracker and the Mouse King 1816 short stories Short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann Christmas short stories German children's books German-language children's books The Nutcracker Fiction about size change Short stories about sentient toys Fictional mice and rats Anthropomorphic mice and rats Fictional dolls and dummies Fairy tales about talking animals Fairy tales about talking objects Animal tales Books adapted into comics Short stories adapted into films Works adapted into ballets Children's books adapted into television shows Christmas children's books Christmas characters