A comparison of Jacques Offenbach's opera Les contes d'Hoffmann with the life and tales of E.T.A. Hoffmann

This thesis compares the present-day version of the opera Les contes d'Hoffmann by Jacques Offenbach with the life and tales of E.T.A. Hoffmann, a comparison which previously had not been done in detail. A comparison of the libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carre with Hoffmann's tales reveals that only certain portions of the tales were used and synthesized to develop the plot in the opera. Futhermore, the libretto makes references to other tales besides Der Sandmann, Abenteuer einer Sylvesternacht, and Rat Krespel. Only a few elements of the opera are accurate references to the author E.T.A. Hoffmann's personal life. This thesis discusses the discrepancies between the E.T.A. Hoffmann's tales and the Barbier-Carre libretto, and addresses the reasons for those discrepancies. Finally, this thesis addresses the fact that numerous versions of the opera exist and discusses why. Excluding the Introduction and Conclusion, each chapter deals specifically with each act in the opera. Ultimately, one can conclude that despite the loose adaptations of the tales for the opera and the fact that so many versions of the opera exist, it is the nature of Hoffmann's tales which continue to successfully entertain audiences around the world, however they are adapted.