Werther, a young artist and poet, retreats to a village and writes letters to his friend Wilhelm about his delight in the countryside. At a ball he meets Lotte, who has promised to marry the reliable Albert, and from the first moment he loves her. He tries to remain a friend, but when Albert returns from a trip and marries Lotte, Werther is unable to cope, leaves, takes a post at court and finds it humiliating. He comes back to the village, and his passion and despair intensify. Goethe published the novel in 1774, and its impact on a generation of readers was enormous.
It is a short book that gives a strong picture of youthful longing, and readers of German literature or of Romantic fiction will find it a key text. Be prepared for its melancholy ending.
Deep, inward-looking, open-ended and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1986
- Publisher
- Reclam
- ISBN
- 9783150000670
- Language
- DE
