„Zwei Seelen wohnen, ach, in meiner Brust“

Clara und Olimpia als figurative Externalisierungen Nathanaels künstlerischer Identitätsspaltung in E. T. A. Hoffmanns ‚Der Sandmann‘

Abstract

This paper explores E. T. A. Hoffmann's short story The Sandman through the lens of identity fragmentation and artistic duality, focusing on the female figures Clara and Olimpia as externalisations of the protagonist Nathanael's inner conflict. Rather than interpreting Clara as a rational Enlightenment figure and Olimpia as a romantic ideal, as many traditional readings suggest, the analysis reveals both women as symbolic manifestations of diverging artistic ideals within Nathanael's psyche.

Through a close textual analysis, the study demonstrates that Clara embodies a concept of "good, ultimate art", one that is clear, harmonious and emotionally profound. Olimpia, by contrast, represents a mechanistic, lifeless aesthetic, an illusion of perfection that ultimately lacks substance and humanity. The shifting perceptions of these characters are examined in relation to Nathanael's psychological development , which is divided into three phases, each marked by increasing alienation from reality and descent into patriarchal obsession.

The paper challenges dominant scholarly interpretations by presenting evidence that enables a reading of Hoffmann as critiquing patriarchal and romanticized notions of femininity and art.