Yet when the devil wants to return his shadow to him in exchange for his soul, Schlemihl, as the friend of God, rejects the proposal and throws away the bottomless wallet besides.

He seeks refuge in nature and travels around the world in scientific exploration, with the aid of seven-league boots.

[4] Georges Schwizgebel's 2004 paint-on-glass animation film The Man with No Shadow (L'Homme sans ombre) portrays a slight variation on the original story: after being rejected by his lover and society, the main character returns to the devil.

[5] Peter Schlemihl appears in a German-language story by Chamisso's friend (and fellow member of the Serapion Brethren) E.T.A.

[6] A portion of this story, "The Story of the Lost Reflection," was adapted by French writers Jules Barbier and Michel Carré into the fourth act of their 1851 play Les contes fantastiques d'Hoffmann, then adapted by Barbier into the libretto of the Jacques Offenbach opera Les contes d'Hoffmann, in which Peter Schlemil [sic] is a romantic rival to the protagonist Hoffmann.