Elixirs of Satan. Level 2 = Die Elixiere des Teufels

The German writer Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann is a classic of world literature. His work has always drawn the interest of readers, and his writings pull you into their amazing world with mesmerizing narration. 'Elixirs of Satan' is a masterpiece of the gothic novel, one of Hoffmann's most unusual works, in which he seeks to penetrate the depths of the human subconscious, to find connections between the inner life and the reality of human existence. The young monk Medardus, from whose point of view the narrative is told, cannot resist temptation – he tries the 'devil's elixir', which awakens in him the basest desires and passions. Submitting to his shadowy double, the monk commits crime after crime. When remorse begins to arise within him, he is offered to fulfill a special task – to write a chronicle of his life. The plot of the novel both frightens and captivates the reader with a series of mysterious events. The text of the work is adapted for levels A2-B1 for those continuing to study the German language at a lower level and is accompanied by comments. Exercises with keys are provided after the novel. At the end of the book, there is a vocabulary dictionary that facilitates reading.