The Sandman

One of the greatest pieces of Gothic German fiction, with an extract from Freud's examination of the novel in his famous essay on the "Uncanny"

The young student Nathanael remains haunted by his childhood fears: he is convinced that Coppelius, a strange night-time visitor who used to come to his house to conduct alchemical experiments with his father—the latter dying as a consequence of one of these sessions—was none other than the Sandman, a mythical figure who was said to steal the eyes of children who refused to go to sleep. When a mysterious Italian salesman with a beautiful daughter moves into town, Nathanael's suspicions are reawakened, pushing him to the brink of madness as extraordinary events unfold. First published in 1816, this classic has enthralled generations ever since, and has spawned countless interpretations by critics intrigued by its powerful symbolism.