Introduction

1. ‘To what extent can Ludwig Tieck’s short story ‘Der blonde Eckbert’ be considered a reflection of a traditional folk tale?’

2. Introduction • A challenging example of early Romantic prose, which seems to defy generic definition. • Two meanings of ‘reflection’: a representation or embodiment, or something which arises from something else. • ‘Der Blonde Eckbert’ as a reflection of a traditional folk tale in the broader sense of the word.

3. Axel Olrik’s ‘Epic Laws of Folk Narrative’ • The Law of Opening and of Closing ‘The traditional folk tale begins by moving from calm to excitement, and ends by moving from excitement to calm.’ • The Law of Three Groupings of three occur with notable frequency within folk tales. • Concentration of a Leading Character There is one main protagonist, and when a man and a woman appear together the focus is on the man, though the sympathy is often with the woman.

4. Bertha’s Childhood • Typical of a traditional folk tale: • She is raised in poverty and runs away from home to escape being beaten. (Klussmann) • Her rise from rags to riches is frequently portrayed in folk tales. (Lüthi) • She marries the handsome knight she always dreamed of as a child.

5. Non folk tale elements in Bertha’s story • The Law of the Single Thread ‘Folk narrative is always single-stranded. It does not go back in order to fill in missing details.’ • The detailed descriptions of the vast, overwhelming landscape are completely foreign to traditional folk tales. (Schlaffer) • The first person narrative. It introduces a level of self-reflexivity and comment unknown to the genre. (Horton)

6. Narrative confusion • Subjective and misleading information is given to the reader on three different levels: • Detached philosophical observations • Statements which the reader believes they can trust • Information presented through the filter of Eckbert’s unstable mind.

7. Psychological elements in the story • Traditional folk tales involve the reader in ‘a world without psychological or moral complexity.’ (Swales) • Eckbert’s struggle with madness and his sense of persecution and paranoia. • References to folk tales within the text. • Bertha’s self-referential comments about her actions and increasing sense of guilt.

8. Two separate interpretations? • A modern, psychological story or a traditional folk tale? • Do the events in the novel actually happen, or are they just an insane fantasy of the characters? • Klussmann’s explanation of why these two interpretations cannot be dealt with separately: the naming of the dog in the story.

9. Conclusion • Structural and thematic similarities. • Structural anomalies and modern use of psychology means ‘Der blonde Eckbert’ is not an accurate representation of a traditional folk tale. • However, Tieck clearly uses traditional folk tales as a starting point, and in this sense ‘Der blonde Eckbert’ can be seen as a reflection of a traditional folk tale.