Struwwelpeter

Struwwelpeter, sometimes also called Der Struwwelpeter ("Shock-Headed Peter") is the name of a book by Heinrich Hoffmann, published in 1844. It is also the name of one of the characters in the book. It is usually a picture book for children. The book contains stories for children. Usually, the stories are about a child misbehaving, or not listening to parents.The child then experiences the harsh consequences of these actions. Wicked Frederick, who took pleasure in being cruel to animals, is bitten by a large dog, for example. Another example is that of Pauline, who plays with matches: she accidentally sets herself on fire and burns to death. In many cases, the consequences are harsh, in some cases, they are deadly.

Struwwelpeter, an illustration form 1861

Struwwelpeter is a very successful childrens book, which has been translated into many languages. The ten stories in the book are written in prose, like poems.

Medical background

Hoffman was a physician and a psychiatrist. In some of his stories, his medical background shows. That way in "Der Suppenkaspar", we likely find the first description of anorexia in literature. In the 19th century, there were still many people who suffered from hunger. Talking about the fact that someone is refusing to eat was somewhat of a taboo subject. In his Struwwelpeter, Hoffmann was the first to make this disease known to a large public. Much in the same way, the history of Zappelphilipp likely is one of the first descriptions of hyperactivity in children, that of Hans-Guck-in-die-Luft may be a description of ADHD. The story of Friedrich can be seen as describing a person who cannot adapt to social norms. Some researchers now see the stories in the book as illustrations of modern child mental disorders.

The stories

Nikolas, dunking the racist boys in ink. Illustration from a 1917 edition.

Konrad’s thumbs are amputated by the tailor

The book contains the following stories

1. Struwwelpeter describes a lazy, dirty boy who does not groom himself properly and is consequently unpopular.
2. Die Geschichte vom bösen Friederich ("The Story of Wicked Frederick"): A violent boy terrorizes animals and people. Eventually he is bitten by a dog, who goes on to eat the boy's food while Frederick is bedridden.
3. Die gar traurige Geschichte mit dem Feuerzeug ("The Very Sad Tale with the Matches"): A girl ("Pauline" in the original German version) plays with matches, accidentally ignites herself and burns to death. Only her cats mourn her.
4. Die Geschichte von den schwarzen Buben ("The Story of the Inky Boys"): Nikolas (or "Agrippa" in some translations) catches three boys teasing a dark-skinned boy. To teach them a lesson, he dips them in black ink.
5. Die Geschichte von dem wilden Jäger ("The Story of the Wild Huntsman") is the only story not primarily focused on children. In it, a hare steals a hunter's musket and eyeglasses and begins to hunt the hunter. In the ensuing chaos, the hare's child is burned by hot coffee and the hunter jumps into a well.
6. Die Geschichte vom Daumenlutscher ("The Story of the Thumb-Sucker"): A mother warns her son Konrad not to suck his thumbs. However, when she goes out of the house he resumes his thumb-sucking, until a roving tailor appears and cuts off his thumbs with giant scissors.
7. Die Geschichte vom Suppen-Kaspar ("The Story of Soup-Kaspar") begins as Kaspar (or "Augustus" in some translations), a healthy, strong boy, proclaims that he will no longer eat his soup. Over the next five days, he becomes skinny, wastes away, and dies. The last illustration shown is of his grave, which has a soup tureen atop it.
8. Die Geschichte vom Zappel-Philipp ("The Story of Fidgety Philip"): A boy who won't sit still at dinner accidentally knocks all of the food onto the floor, to his parents' great displeasure.
9. Die Geschichte von Hans Guck-in-die-Luft ("The Story of Johnny Look-In-The-Air") concerns a boy who habitually fails to watch where he is walking. One day he walks into a river; he is soon rescued, but his briefcase drifts away.
10. Die Geschichte vom fliegenden Robert ("The Story of Flying Robert"): A boy goes outside during a storm. The wind catches his umbrella and lifts him high into the air, with the boy sailing into the distance