The Nutcracker - An Original Story

Meet the Original Nutcracker & Mouse King. Every holiday season, during the month of December, young and old alike are enthralled by one of the world's most-popular ballets. It's "The Nutcracker." The ballet, by Tchaikovsky, is based on a story by Alexandre Dumas. But ... Dumas - the creator of such tales as "The Count of Monte Cristo" - was not the original author of "The Nutcracker." That claim belongs to a prolific German writer who changed his own name:  E.T.A. Hoffman. Hoffman was a very talented artist. Not only could he tell great stories, he could review symphonies - like Beethoven's 5th - by reading the score (instead of hearing the orchestra). Hoffman lived at a time when "The Enlightenment" had taken hold. Scientific studies were underway, but Hoffman had a problem. He was worried that people were spending too much time on "hard" studies at the expense of "soft" topics, like "flights of fancy." So ... Hoffman, the spinner of tales and teller of stories, decided to write some "flights of fancy." Before the worlds of Hogwarts, Narnia, Mordor and the Shire were ever conceived - by Rowling, Lewis and Tolkien - Hoffman invented a Land of Sweets and a little wooden nutcracker (whose real identity was hidden from almost everyone). We have abridged Hoffman's original story (to make it easier to read and comprehend). Enjoy! Who was E.T.A. Hoffman - and - what motivated him to write the Nutcracker? Who was Godfather Drosselmeier - and - what was his special claim to fame? What unique present did the family first ignore? How did the Nutcracker sustain his first injury? In some versions of the story, the female lead is called "Marie," but in other versions she's called "Clara." How did the switch take place? How did the Nutcracker interact with the Mouse King? Marie (Clara) is ill the next morning. What happened to her? What tale did Drosselmeier tell about a Princess called Pirlipat? What caused Pirlipat to get into trouble? What does "Crackatook" have to do with the story? Who does Marie (Clara) think Drosselmeier really is? Who wins the battle - the Nutcracker or the Mouse King? What chapter of the story likely influenced Tchaikovsky (leading to his ballet, which you can watch here)? What proof did Marie (Clara) provide, in an effort to convince her family that she wasn't lying to them? What can you see, if you look with the right eyes?