Germelshausen

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Germelshausen is an 1860 short story by Friedrich Gerstäcker.

The story concerns a cursed village that sank into the earth long ago and is permitted to appear for only one day every century. The protagonist is a young artist (Arnold) who happens to be traversing the area as the town appears. He encounters, and becomes smitten with, a young woman (Gertrud) from Germelshausen. The romantic tale ends with him leaving the vicinity just in time to avoid becoming entombed with the village and its denizens, but thereby being forever separated from his love.

Motif

The basic concept is an old German motif that appears in works of Müller, Heine, Uhland and others. The curse may affect a town, a castle or even a single house, but the narrative content remains largely unchanged.[1]

Impact

References

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