The Imperial Magazine/Volume 6/Number 62/Review: Popular Tales and Romances of the Northern Nations
Review.—Popular Tales and Romances of the Northern Nations. 8vo. 3 vols. pp. 346—316—349. London. W. Simpkin, R. Marshall, and J. H. Bohte. 1823.
The Author of Waverley, whoever he may be, has given a decided bias to the public taste, in favour of works of fiction; in consequence, such books are now constantly issuing from the press, and perhaps at no time has so much talent been employed merely for the purpose of amusing the public, as at present: formerly, a novel writer held about the same rank in the circle of literature, that a sonnetteer does in the suite of the muses; the consequence was, few men of genius would, as they conceived, demean themselves by writing novels. The “great unknown,” as he has been called, proved to the world, that a man of genius might not only combine instruction with amusement; but also acquire to himself fresh laurels, by entering upon this department of literature. The works of fiction which seem to have principally engaged the public attention, are what may be called historical legends; and it is no wonder, since the legends of their own country have been so well received by the British public, that authors should be found to write and translate, and booksellers to publish, those of other countries.
The “Popular Tales” is not the first work of this nature which is of German origin; in the beginning of the preceding year, a book made its appearance, entitled “German Popular Stories;” it consisted merely of the nursery stories of Germany, and was rather curious than entertaining: its chief aim seemed to be, to shew the antiquity of many of our nursery tales, and their evident Saxon and German origin. The present work has higher pretensions to notice in a literary point of view; the tales are longer, the plots more complex, more interest is excited, and the ideas and language are better adapted to “children of a larger growth.” Whoever takes up these volumes, must take them up merely as a work of amusement, and give the full rein to his imagination; there is not any appearance of probability in them; a supernatural or diabolical agency is the main spring in almost the whole of them; but the moral throughout is good; courage, perseverance, and a firm reliance upon the divine assistance, after every human effort has been tried, uniformly carry the hero or heroine through all their difficulties, in despite of all the powers of darkness which may be united against them. Guilt is universally punished, unless repentance, and that grand sign of it, restitution as far as power permits, succeed. Irresolution and timidity bring the person into difficulties and dangers.—But a better idea may be formed of the nature of the work, by a short critique upon each tale. The first volume contains six tales, viz. The Treasure-seeker, the Bottle Imp, the Sorcerers, the Enchanted Castle, Wake not the Dead, and Auburn Egbert.
The Treasure-seeker.—This tale is written in a light playful style, with which a considerable portion of humour is blended; and is not unlike some of the tales of Boccacio. The hero, Peter Block, “who has descended the ladder of promotion with most quick retrogradation,” is driven, by a Xantippe of a wife, for consolation to “mine host of the Golden Lamb,” where, it being a festival among the shepherds, he hears them relate various legendary tales; among others, an old shepherd tells, that the Demon of the Hartz appeared to him when a boy, and discovered a treasure to him, which he had never mustered courage sufficient to look after. Peter profits by the relation, obtains the treasure, and uses it discreetly. His progress in search of the cave is truly more Germannorum.
The Bottle Imp.—This is one of the best stories in the collection, and of a more serious cast than the former. Richard, a young merchant who has spent his property in riot and debauchery, is induced to become purchaser of what is called a bottle imp, which has the faculty of supplying the possessor with gold, and gratifying all his wishes, upon the condition, that, if he die with it in his possession, his soul is forfeited to the devil; and he can only sell it for a less price than he gave for it, which was five ducats. His debaucheries now become worse than ever, and in consequence he falls ill, he is troubled with frightful visions, and his fears, more than any convictions of the sinfulness of his conduct, induce him to try to get rid of the bottle imp; which he does by artifice: it is returned to him in the same way. He sells it again and again; but by some accident it is always returned to him at a reduced price; till, at last, he buys it for a heller (the fourth part of a halfpenny.) This drives him to complete despair, from which he is relieved by a kind of supernatural interference; and the denouement conveys a very severe but very just satire upon the coinage of some of the lesser German states. This tale is well worked up; the various means by which the bottle imp is returned to its possessor, in spite of all his precautions, are well imagined, and his despair and repentance not ill described.
The Sorcerers.—In this story, which is very well told, the dangers of a bad education are pointed out, and that old maxim, principiis obsta, fully inculcated. Antonia, from a spoiled child becomes a tyrannical mistress; a desire of revenging herself, and the temptations of a sorceress, induce her to become leagued with the powers of darkness; but far from obtaining happiness, she increases her misery; but finally becomes penitent, and dies a nun.
The Enchanted Castle—is inferior to the three former, both in interest and execution, and may be put on a level with some of the ghost stories of our own country.
Wake not the Dead.—This is a most terrific story, and not at all inferior to the celebrated poem of Leonora: the admirers of Vampires, Manfredi’s, Frankenstein’s, &c. &c. will be quite at home here. We had marked some passages for insertion, but our want of room prohibits their admission.
Auburn Egbert—is a fairy tale of no great merit, but much upon a par with some of those in Grimm’s collection.
The tales in the second volume are inferior in point of interest to those in the first; they are five in number, the Spectre Barber, Magic Dollar, Collier’s Family, Victim of Priestcraft, and Kibitz.
The Spectre Barber—is the most finished story in the collection, and seems to be formed upon two or three legends, which, if not of English origin, were so far naturalized as to have been quite familiar to us in our younger days. The legend of the barber himself seems, however, at any rate to be of German origin.
The Magic Dollar—is founded upon a tradition still very current in Germany, and bears some resemblance to the Bottle Imp.
Of the Collier’s Family we can say but little, for, in truth, it is above our comprehension: if it be meant for an allegory, the author should have said so.
The Victim of Priestcraft.—This seems to be the only tale which does not directly or indirectly owe its origin to the monks; it abounds with invective and satire directed against the Romish church, exposes the tricks of the clergy, their sham miracles, reliques, and indulgences. Those who are acquainted with the history of Germany in the 13th and 14th centuries, will know, that the picture of those times, when the knights robbed with the sword, and the priests with the crucifix, is not overcharged.
Kibitz—is a very silly story, and much inferior to all the rest.
The third volume contains six tales, viz. The Field of Terror, Elfin Land, the Tale, the Fatal Marksman, the Hoard of the Nibelungen, and the Erl-King’s Daughter; the first of these contains a fine satire on pretended generosity, and places the triumphs of courage, virtue, and honest integrity in a pleasing light. It is not the best, and is far from being the worst tale in the collection,
Elfin Land—is a very pretty fairy tale, founded on the Rosicrucian system of Salamanders, Gnomes, &c.
The Tale.—This is the most extraordinary story of the whole, and what the author intended is not clear; an adept would easily recognize the green serpent, the four kings, the meteors, the man with the lamp, &c. &c. &c. We know but one way of making gold, and that a very tedious one; instead of obtaining the universal medicine, we get but an alcahest, and that of human life. Whether the author intended to ridicule alchemy, or to intimate his superior knowledge, we must leave to the readers of Theophrastus, Raymond Lully, George Ripley, Basil Valentine, and Van Helmont; perhaps most will be of the opinion that his sentiments are those of Harris, who describes alchemy as “Ars sine arte, cujus principium est mentiri, medium laborare, finis mendicare.”
The Fatal Marksman—is of a very gloomy cast, but still well told; it turns upon a superstition not uncommon in England, that a gun which has killed a man, or balls which have killed game, if recast, will do the same again.
The Hoard of the Nibelungen, and the Erl-King’s Daughter, are the last in the collection, and are rather devoid of interest: events are brought about by supernatural means, which would tell much better if suffered to take place in the common course of things; and magic, which has always been regarded with fear, if not with respect, is almost rendered ludicrous by the use made of it in the course of the above two tales.
Of the whole collection we may say, it is about on a par with the Arabian Nights’ Entertainments, and no doubt will please, if it were only because it is new. The tales are crude and unfinished; still there is in general enough incident to amuse those who are not very fastidious, and more imagination is displayed than is shewn in many of the works of fiction which are obtruded on the public notice from time to time. It is certainly superior to the former attempts, and perhaps a third may be better still; for there must be much of this kind of writing in the German language, which has never yet met the eye of the British public, though well worth translating. We may make one more remark, that is, relative to the typographical execution of the work;—it is extremely incorrect, and appears to have been hurried through the press without reading, or to have been entrusted to some foreigner but ill acquainted with the English language.