SOURCE: "Split Terrain: Space in the Märchen of Tieck," in The Boundless Present: Space and Time in the Literary Fairy Tales of Novalis and Tieck, The University of North Carolina Press, 1979, pp. 39-62.

In the following excerpt, Birrell explores how Tieck's use of spatial and temporal space is related to thematic and structural qualities of Der blonde Eckbert

Der Blonde Eckbert

In contrast to Novalis's tales, which are intellectually engaging but rather short on emotional appeal, the Märchen of Ludwig Tieck speak directly to the feelings and senses. Der blonde Eckbert, for instance, is so lyrically evocative that some critics have been inclined to interpret it more as poetry than as prose, writing off the plot as inconsequential and meaningless. While Novalis sublimated his intense emotional energies into creations of exquisite refinement, the young Tieck tended to let himself go, turning out works which sometimes reflect...