The Cold Heart An economic fairytale of German romanticism

The story Le Cœur froid by Wilhelm Hauff (1827) contains a series of allusions to economic life. Referring to the beginnings of capitalism, it displays hostility to the most fundamental economic institutions such as money and exchange. However it not only denounces capitalism. Going beyond criticism, the story provides its own message about economics when read in the light of some of the favorite subjects of literary romanticism.