Hoffmann's role in The Lyre of Orpheus

Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann plays an extremely important role in The Lyre of Orpheus. His character is vital to plot development, character exposition and theme revelation. Hoffmann has no physical role in the story: "sojourning in limbo because he died with his opera incomplete, he looks down on the scene and comments on the performances of the mortals whose activities, he hopes, will get him out of there" (Stewart). Hoffmann's supernatural presence impacts these aspects …

…ability to make insightful comments that the other characters cannot. He is, therefore, an essential element in the afore-mentioned aspects of the novel. Works Cited Davies, Robertson. The Lyre of Orpheus. New York: Penguin, 1990. Gray, Paul. "Whisperings of Intuition". Time. 26 December 1988. Lodge, David. "Hermits and Fools". The New York Review of Books. 13 April 1989. Stewart, Robert. "Out of tune; Robertson Davies's Lyre of Orpheus lets his public and his reputation down." The Montreal Gazette. 10 Sep 1988: K9.