{"product_id":"three-german-tales-goethes-die-neue-melusine-zschokkes-der-tote-gast-kleists-die-verlobung-in-st-domingo-german-text","title":"Three German Tales: Goethe's Die Neue Melusine; Zschokke's Der Tote Gast; Kleist's Die Verlobung in St. Domingo [GERMAN TEXT]","description":"ix, 226 pp. German text, English preface, introduction, notes, and appendix. Three German Tales: Goethe's Die Neue Melusine; Zschokke's Der Tote Gast; Kleist's Die Verlobung in St. Domingo. \"The New Melusine\" (1807) showcases Goethe's creative reimagining of the mythical figure Melusine, a half-human, half-serpent creature, in the modern world. He crafts a narrative that explores themes of transformation, hybridity, and the complexities of identity in modern society, and what a modern \"mermaid\" looks like today. Goethe invites readers to contemplate the boundaries between human and non-human, the tension between longing for freedom and the constraints of societal norms, and the eternal quest for self-discovery. When a wealthy nobleman invites a traveler to stay at his secluded mansion, the guest begins to unravel a sinister web of secrets and lies that lead to a shocking discovery. Set in nineteenth-century Switzerland, this Gothic novel explores the darkest corners of the human psyche and the consequences of keeping secrets. Die Verlobung in St. Domingo is set during the Haitian Revolution of 1803-1804 which led to the founding of the first black republic. This is a colonial world where racial tensions between the indigenous blacks and their white masters have reached boiling point. A Swiss family is seeking to escape back to Europe. One night, one of their number, Gustav, finds shelter in the house of Congo Hoango, one of the ringleaders of the black uprising, who is away at the time. Gustav is welcomed with hypocritical friendliness by Babekan, Congo’s mulatto housekeeper, and her mixed race daughter Toni. Gustav and Toni are instantly attracted to each other and, after a night of love, they become engaged. But the following day Congo returns. Toni ties up the sleeping Gustav in order to protect him and buy time. Help arrives as the Swiss family burst into Congo’s house, overpower the blacks, and set Gustav free. In his fury he shoots Toni for what he takes to be her betrayal of their love. When the truth is explained to him, he shoots himself. The Swiss group are able to get away and return home where a monument is erected to the two ill-fated lovers.","brand":"Henry Holt and Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41980488351814,"sku":"2345315","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1232\/9510\/files\/2345315.jpg?v=1721676905","url":"https:\/\/ym-demo.myshopify.com\/products\/three-german-tales-goethes-die-neue-melusine-zschokkes-der-tote-gast-kleists-die-verlobung-in-st-domingo-german-text","provider":"Yesterday's Muse","version":"1.0","type":"link"}