Pdf the sorrows of young werther book by johann wolfgang. Boylan edited by nathen haskell dole the sorrows of young werther preface i have carefully collected whatever i have been able to learn of the story of poor werther, and here present it to you, knowing that you will thank me for it. Goethe began work on faust, and egmont, another tragedy before being invited to join the government of weimar. The story centers on werther, a highly sensitive artist who has channeled his passionate temperate into his unrequited love for lotte, a beautiful.
He was suffering from a great deal of emotional confusion at the time, and the. It was first published in 1774 and is one of the most famousand infamousworks in the history of literature. I have carefully collected whatever i have been able to learn of the story of poor werther. But even more impressive than his versatility was his unwillingness ever to settle into a single style or approach.
Name of writer, number pages in ebook and size are given in our post. The novel is the story of a sensitive, artistic young man who demonstrates the fatal effects of a predilection for. The sorrows of young werther oxford worlds classics 9780199583027. The sorrows of young werther was impactful in ushering in the romantic age of literaturethough goethe nearly killed it off before it began. The first great confessional novel, the sorrows of young werther draws both on goethes own unrequited love for charlotte buff and on the death of his friend karl wilhelm jerusalem. As to werthers suicide, we may confidently assume that goethe had entertained thoughts of ending his life at times when overmastering emotion resulted in feelings of frustration and defeat. The sorrows of young werther, due to its immense popularity and anchor work of the romantic senitimantalist zietgiest and still the most enduring philosophy to our day the rule of individual sentiment and worship of man in his most primative state although a much romantically contrived rousseauian vission of that, stands as a book that is. Ive not read any of his other works but young werther has certainly inspired me to try. O n its publication in 1774, the sorrows of young werther gained an instant cult following. The sorrows of young werther by goethe, first edition abebooks. Although he realizes that lotte is to marry albert, he is unable to subdue his passion for her, and his infatuation torments him to the point of absolute despair. Free delivery on book orders dispatched by amazon over. Werther, a sensitive young man falls in love with lotte, a sweetnatured girl he meets while visitng an idyllic german village.
The first great confessional novel, drawing both on goethe s own unrequited love for charlotte buff. European readers were captivated by the rapturous ruminations of werther, goethe s typically romantic. The majority of the story is a collection of letters written by werther, a young artist with a very sensitive and passionate temperament, sent to. First published in 1774, it reappeared as a revised edition in 1787. Werther, a sensitive young man, falls in love with lotte, a sweetnatured girl he meets while visitng an idyllic german village. I read this book because i enjoy the poetic language of goethe. An exceptionally popular book, the sorrows of young werther gave. The majority of the story is a collection of letters written by werther, a young artist with a very sensitive and passionate temperament, sent to his friend wilhelm. I found goethes language and imagery to be beautiful and very moving, and i thought his characters were sympathetically portrayed. Johann wolfgang goethe 17491832 was born in frankfurt, germany. The result of this combination of actualities was a milestone in german literature. The sorrows of young werther dover thrift editions.
It was first published in 1774 and is one of the most famous and infamous works in the history of literature. I recently finished reading this and just wondered what other people thought of the work. The story of a young man driven to suicide by an unhappy love affair, the. Visiting an idyllic german village, werther, a sensitive and romantic young man, meets and falls in love with sweetnatured lotte. Free download or read online the sorrows of young werther pdf epub book. Goethe drew on his own unhappy experiences to tell the story of werther, a young man tormented by his love for lotte, a tenderhearted girl who is promised to someone else. A loosely autobiographical novel, this was goethe s first major success, turning him from an unknown into a celebrated author practically overnight. The novel is the story of a sensitive, artistic young man who demonstrates the fatal. The first great confessional novel, drawing both on goethes own unrequited love for charlotte buff. The book was an immediate success and a cult rapidly grew up around it, resulting in numerous imitations as well as violent criticism and even suppression. At one level, its not difficult to relate to werther and the pain he experiences he is in love with a woman who is unavailable, i. May 10, 2012 the sorrows of young werther propelled goethe to instant fame when it first appeared in 1774.
Goethe was able to convey his agony so well that as the book approaches its. His interest in the classical world led him to leave suddenly for italy in 1786 and the italian journey recounts his travels there. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 176 pages and is available in paperback format. This was followed by the novel the sorrows of young werther in 1774, which was an even greater success. A loosely autobiographical novel, this was goethes first major success, turning him from an unknown into a celebrated author practically overnight.
Werther is arguably the greatest literary work of the modern world. The sorrows of young werther is the iconic love story which helped to usher in the romantic age. The ultimate unrequited love story when published in 1774, the sorrows of young werther caused a literary sensation throughout europe. It was goethe s first major success, turning him from an unknown into a celebrated author practically overnight. It was goethes first major success, turning him from an unknown into a celebrated author practically overnight. Jun 30, 2012 o n its publication in 1774, the sorrows of young werther gained an instant cult following. This great classic will surely attract a whole new generation of readers. The main characters of this literature, novels story are werther, albert.
European readers were captivated by the rapturous ruminations of werther, goethes typically romantic. The sorrows of young werther propelled goethe to instant fame when it first appeared in 1774. I have so much and my feeling for her devours everything, i have so much and without her everything is nothing. The sorrows of young werther novel by goethe britannica. Although he directed the german state theatre, dabbled in the occult and worked on scientific theories in evolutionary botany, goethe is best remembered for his great works the sorrows of young werther and faust, and his part in the 18th century sturm and drang movement. Sep 02, 2017 the sorrows of young werther, due to its immense popularity and anchor work of the romantic senitimantalist zietgiest and still the most enduring philosophy to our day the rule of individual sentiment and worship of man in his most primative state although a much romantically contrived rousseauian vission of that, stands as a book that is. The book was an immediate success and a cult rapidly grew up around it, resulting in numerous imitations as well as violent criticism and even.