work1811 (Fouqué); Romantic literary tale
Gioacchino Pagliei, le naiadi (1881). Wikimedia Commons
Undine
The one about love between a water spirit and a knight.
To Explore
- What are Paracelsus's elemental spirits, and how does Undine draw on this tradition?
- What does water symbolise in Undine, and how does this compare to its role in the other tales we have studied?
- Is Naturphilosophie reflected in the way Undine portrays nature? If so, how?
reference materials
Books
UndineFriedrich de la Motte Fouqué , 1811
Water and dreamsGaston Bachelard
The little mermaidHans Christian Andersen
Films
UndineChristian Petzold, 2020
Shape of waterGuillermo del Toro, 2017
Other
MélusineFrench literary tradition
Die Lorelei (poem)Heinrich Heine, 1824
Water women paintingsJohn William Waterhouse
The Nixe traditionGerman folklore
Otherness and modern dating?
Key figures
Linked nodes
