As Paris is shaken by a spate of murderous robberies, the aristocratic Mademoiselle de Scuderi pens a poem to poke fun at the cowardly lovers who now fear to go out at night to see their mistresses. But when she receives an unexpected visit from a young man, who gives her a box of jewels with a note thanking her for supporting the robbers' cause, the elderly writer is plunged into a dangerous web of passion, intrigue and murder. First published in 1819 to great acclaim, and displaying all the author's trademark wit and ingenuity, E.T.A. Hoffmann's tale has inspired and delighted writers and readers ever since, and remains a benchmark for all modern crime novels.

A tale and a fascinating crime thriller of the times of Louis XIV

E. T. A. Hoffmann's novella, Mademoiselle de Scudéri: A Tale from the Times of Louis XIV, was first published in 1819 in Yearbook for 1820. The novella still is widely regarded as one of Hoffmann's best, not only because of its exciting, suspenseful plot and interesting descriptions of life, places, and people in late 17th-century Paris but also because of the many different levels of interpretation that it allows. The action takes place in Paris during the reign of King Louis XIV of France. The city is under siege by what is presumed to be an organized band of thieves whose members rob citizens of costly jewelry in their homes or on the street.

E. T. A. Hoffmann's novella, "Mademoiselle de Scudéri. A Tale from the Times of Louis XIV" ["Das Fräulein von Scuderi. Erzählung aus dem Zeitalter Ludwig des Vierzehnten"], was first published in 1819 in "Yearbook for 1820. Dedicated to Love and Friendship" ["Taschenbuch für das Jahr 1820. Der Liebe und Freundschaft gewidmet"]. It later was included in the third volume of the four-volume collection of novellas and fairytales that was published between 1819 and 1821 under the title "The Serapion Brethren" ["Die Serapionsbrüder"]. The 1819 edition was an immediate commercial and critical success and led to Hoffmann's becoming a popular and well-paid author (Feldges & Stadler 1986, 153). The novella still is widely regarded as one of Hoffmann's best, not only because of its exciting, suspenseful plot and interesting descriptions of life, places, and people in late 17th-century Paris but also because of the many different levels of interpretation that it allows (Feldges & Stadler 1986, 158-167; Kaiser 1988, 75).

Set in Paris during King Louis the fourteenth's reign, E.T.A Hoffmann's 'Mademoiselle Scuderi' throws the reader into a city under siege from an organised group of thieves who rob citizens of their expensive jewellery. Aristocrat, Mademoiselle Scuderi, pens a poem mocking the men who now fear going out at night to see their mistresses but when an unexpected man visits her and delivers a box of jewellery, as thanks for supporting the thieves, Scuderi is plunged into a dangerous game of passion, crime, and murder. People who enjoyed Netflix’s adaptation of ‘Lupin’ shouldn’t hesitate to read Hoffmann's exciting crime thriller 'Mademoiselle Scuderi' E.T.A Hoffmann was a German author of fantasy, and gothic horror, and was highly influential on the Romantic Movement. He is perhaps best known for writing the novella 'The Nutcracker and the Mouse King' which was the inspiration for Tchaikovsky's ballet 'The Nutcracker'.

Happily engaged to the poet Amandus, Fraulein Anna is horrified to discover that a beautiful ring, mysteriously deposited upon her finger whilst tending her kitchen garden, forces her into marriage with the gnome Corduanspitz. Can Anna find any way of removing the ring? Will her poet lover shake off his passive demeanour and come to her aid? And has Corduanspitz truly relinquished all ties to his gnome heritage, as he so proudly claims?Around a love story very much of its time, Hoffman arranges a narrative that brings to mind the most successful elements of contemporary magical realism and surreal comedy. Always entertaining, yet capable of a focused though subtle morality, "e;The King's Bride"e; brings disparate elements into a masterful harmony.