The Naked Saint

Wackenroder's literary tale, "A Wondrous Oriental Tale of a Naked Saint," fits into the fairy tale genre while also possessing many elements of the Romantic period. The story opens with a paragraph on the "marvelous things" of the Orient, which introduce the reader to a sense of wonder and enchantment, a common theme of the traditional folktale. We are introduced to a wilderness, or perhaps enchanted forest, where "supernatural creatures" and "strange beings" are found. Another fairy tale aspect of the "Naked Saint" is its concept of time; the tale never explains the time period in which we find the naked saint and his eternally spinning wheel. The tale also describes an "ethereal music" that flowed from two lovers' skiff. The music, much like kissing an ugly toad or a selfless act of kindness, breaks the naked saint's spell of madness, his rushing wheel of time disappears and a transformation occurs. The element of music serves not only as a different spin on the fairy tale's traditional spell-breaking-trope, but also as a medium of poetic language. The power of music evokes a sense of wonder and amazement in this tale. It is translated by the author into a poetic language that is accessibly to the reader who cannot hear the music for him/herself. The only part of the music that we can personally comprehend is the written lyrics; it is the job of the author to create an image of the power of the sound, the primary medium of music. In describing the music's effects as causing a "bright ethereal figure" to soar high into the air, "carried by the soft crescendo of the horns and the song." Through Wackenroder's exquisite use of poetic language, the reader can sense the intimate relationship between language, poetry and the evocative power of music.