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The Sorrows of Young Werther

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Burton Pike (Translator)

3.57 of 5 stars 3.57 · rating details · 23,152 ratings · 914 reviews

For more than two centuries the very title of this book has evoked the sensitivity of youth, the suffering of the artist, the idea of a hero too full of love to live. When it was first published in Germany, in 1774, The Sorrows of Young Werther created a sensation. Banned and condemned but embraced—especially by the young—it has continued to captivate.Now Burton Pike’s sta...more

Paperback, 149 pages

Published February 8th 2005 by Modern Library (first published 1774)

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Jul 14, 2007 Eric rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 22, 2013 [P] rated it 3 of 5 stars

My ringtone is Area Codes by Ludacris, not because I claim to have ‘hoes in different area codes’ but because it amuses me. Let me tell you why: in the song there is a line that goes ‘I bang cock in Bangkok.’ Now, I am pretty sure that this isn’t what Ludacris intended to say [I think we can safely assume he wasn’t ‘coming out’ on record], or he didn’t realise the implications. The song is proof, I think, that words are tricksy little things, that what may sound one way in your head isn’t necess...more My ringtone is Area Codes by Ludacris, not because I claim to have ‘hoes in different area codes’ but because it amuses me. Let me tell you why: in the song there is a line that goes ‘I bang cock in Bangkok.’ Now, I am pretty sure that this isn’t what Ludacris intended to say [I think we can safely assume he wasn’t ‘coming out’ on record], or he didn’t realise the implications. The song is proof, I think, that words are tricksy little things, that what may sound one way in your head isn’t necessarily how it will strike someone who is reading or hearing it. The moral is that you ought to be careful with what you say, because all that you say is open to interpretation.

You may well ask what has Ludicris and his unintentionally homoerotic slip of the tongue got to do with The Sorrows of Young Werther? Well, this small German novel is somewhat controversial, in that, as a tale of unrequited love and self-harm, it has been responsible for copycat suicides, and, more worryingly, for encouraging ridiculous “oh woe is me” romantic posturing, which is not, I imagine, what Goethe intended.

A friend of mine who studied the novel tells a story [and I assume it is accurate] that the author actually wrote the novel twice, once in his youth and once in later life. The difference, he asserts, between the two versions is that the earlier one is more serious, more straightfaced, and the later is much more of a satire of juvenile romantic bombast. My friend makes the point that Goethe himself was somewhat embarrassed by the novel's reception and felt less able to identify with it as a mature adult. In any case, one must own that it is unlikely that the author wrote the book in order to advocate the behaviour within it.

Don’t get me wrong, read at the right time [one’s teens] this could, maybe should, be like reading the story of your life [without the bit about topping yourself, one would hope], as one’s teenage years are when one is meant to be engaging in overwrought emoting because some hot girl has shunned you at the local indie disco. But when reading, as I often do, that adults identify with, or see themselves in the young protagonist I can't help but roll my eyes [I’m sorry, peeps].

As for the three stars, well, Werther isn't Goethe's best. It is well written but slight, and the plot is entirely predictable. Still, if read as a satire it can raise the odd chuckle.(less)

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Jul 04, 2007 Clare rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people who love beautiful things

I picked this up with some trepidation, assuming that it would be full of stolid German angst and that I would give up after a couple of pages. However, it's a perfect psychological portrait! I loved it. Werther isn't an entirely sympathetic character (he has the odd Kevin the Teenager moment) but you are entirely drawn into his world and feel the same responses as him very keenly. It's only upon finishing that you realise how Goethe has managed to completely draw you into the concerns and belie...more

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May 29, 2007 Renée rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: favourites

Most beautiful book I've ever read. Goethe's style and prose is incredible. I'm not sure how well it translates to English, having read it in Dutch and German, but I'm sure there are many competant translators out there. Anyone who's not read this is really, really missing out as it's of an unequalled beauty.

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Apr 21, 2010 Hans rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: german-literature

This is s dangerous book. For anyone who has suffered from unrequited love that burns like a fever will be able to relate uncannily well with this book. Unfortunately the ending is such that it inspired many people to use it like a template for their own lives when faced with a similar situation. While finishing up this book I wondered whether Goethe was ever aware or thought about the painful actions his book inspired.

This is a fictionalized autobiography of Goethe's own experience of being in...more

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Mar 18, 2012 Salma rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

رواية رومانسية كلاسيكية شاعرية حزينة من تأليف جوتة عن الشاب فارتر الذي أحب حبا مستحيلا
يقال أن كثير من الشباب تأثروا بها في ذاك الزمن و انتحروا على إثرها
يبدو لي أن شباب أيام زمان كانوا مرهفين زيادة و يحبون بكيانهم كله، السؤال هو لماذا انقرضت هذه النوعية من الشباب هذه الأيام
:/
بأية حال الرواية لا بأس بها، و أظن أنها ستعجب كثيرا أؤلئك الذين يحلقون مع الكلام الجميل الشاعري
و أحمد حسن الزيات ترجمته شعرية و جميلة، مع أنها ترجمة للمعنى و ليست دقيقة
الطبعة طبعة مصرية عتيقة مصفرة الأوراق مهترئة منزوعة الغلا...more رواية رومانسية كلاسيكية شاعرية حزينة من تأليف جوتة عن الشاب فارتر الذي أحب حبا مستحيلا
يقال أن كثير من الشباب تأثروا بها في ذاك الزمن و انتحروا على إثرها
يبدو لي أن شباب أيام زمان كانوا مرهفين زيادة و يحبون بكيانهم كله، السؤال هو لماذا انقرضت هذه النوعية من الشباب هذه الأيام
:/
بأية حال الرواية لا بأس بها، و أظن أنها ستعجب كثيرا أؤلئك الذين يحلقون مع الكلام الجميل الشاعري
و أحمد حسن الزيات ترجمته شعرية و جميلة، مع أنها ترجمة للمعنى و ليست دقيقة
الطبعة طبعة مصرية عتيقة مصفرة الأوراق مهترئة منزوعة الغلاف
وجدتها تباع على قارعة الطريق في معرض الكتب المتشرد
:)
---
و الحقيقة أنها تستحق نجمتين
و لكن النجمة الثالثة لأجل الكيفية التي قرأتها بها، ليس فقط أني قرأتها منذ سنوات، و لكن ما زلت أذكر أني قرأتها في مزرعة التفاح حيث كنت بين فينة و أخرى أرفع رأسي لأرى الشمس تغيب في الأفق و النسمات الباردة تهب علي و عصفور بري يغرد في الأفق و أنا ممسكة بكتاب مصفر مهترئ عتيق يبثني فيه رجل من عصر بعيد أحزانه بطريقته الرومانسية الساذجة
بل فكرة كون الشباب انتحروا من هذه الرواية الساذجة لوحدها طريفة و تستحق نجمة عليها
ليست من نوع الروايات التي أقرؤها عادة و تعجبني، و خصوصا أنها مليئة بالتعابير الجياشة التي لا أطيقها
و لا حتى أني احتملت قراءة روايات المنفلوطي التي لا تختلف كثيرا عنها
و لكن شيء ما أعجبني و لم يجعلني أكرهها
على كل ليش الكذب هذا النوع من البساطة و السذاجة في البطل بل و في العصر كله وجدته أمرا جذابا و طريفا
ربما لو كانت نتاج العصر الحالي لكنت لاذعة في حقها
و ربما لو أعدت قرءاتها في جو آخر أو بعد أن قرأت كتبا أكثر لما كنت أعطيتها سوى نجمة واحدة
- (less)

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Oct 05, 2012 ميّ أحمد rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

غارقة في الرومانسية الكلاسيكية في الحب الصادق المثالي الذي لم يعد موجودا ولا منطقيا في أيامنا هذه لكن أظن أنني لذلك أحببتها
لأن مثل هذا الحب أصبح ضربا من الخيال ..
غوته ذا قلم صادق يكتب بشفافية تمس الروح قلم ناصع البياض
وفي رسائل الحب اعتصرتُ مع فيرتر ألما وبكيت ُ لأجله
لكم كان حقيقيا

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May 28, 2013 أحمد العبدالجليل rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

إقتباس من الكتاب نفسه يختصر ما أود قوله عن آلام ڤيرتر:

"يا لله أيّ عالم جلتُ فيه وردْتهُ في شِعر هذا الشاعر السامي! عالمٌ كله جلال وروعة! تجدني أجول فيه بين أشجار الخلنج والعواصف الهوج تزجي السّحائب الدُّجن في ضوء القمر الشاحب، فأرى من خلالها أشباح آبائه وأجداده، وأسمع من قمم الجبال، بين هدير السيل الجارف، أنين تلك الأرواح في أجواف مغائرها، وتأوّه تلك الفتاة اليائسة الولهى، وهي تريقُ بنفسها من الألم جاثية على الصخور الأربع التي ضمّت عظام حبيبها، ذلك الحبيب الباسل الذي مات ميتة الأبطال في معركةٍ ش...more

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Jul 12, 2007 Namrirru rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: europe

The story reminds me a little of dearly beloved Dostoevsky; poor sod in a love fit over a girl. Dosotevsky distracts this story line with depth, but Goethe does the opposite. Werther, pathetic and pitiful. Just get over it! But he doesn't.

Goethe was before the advent of psychology, and I'm surprised no one quotes this book. Werther is fixated, not in love. She's a tool in his puer complex. He cannot face reality, so she's a safe excuse to commit suicide.

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May 26, 2010 K.D. Oliveros rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Hopeless Romantics

Recommended to K.D. by: 501 Must Read Books and 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (2006, 2008, 2010)

Shelves: 1001-core, 501, classics

Werther was in love with Lotte. She was already engaged. Werther persisted. Lotte married her fiance, Albert. Werther killed himself.

THE END.

That in essence is what this classic unrequited love story is all about. Originally written in German and first published in 1774, this book is an important novel of the Sturm und Drang period in German literature. Sturm und Drang is that period in Germany in 1760s to 1780s when extreme emotions as expression became popular in reaction to restrictions impo...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Forrest rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

OK, so the story is trite. I get it. Werther is the original emo. Check. Books that end in suicide are no longer PC. Alright.

Put that all aside and read the work in German. I can't even say if the book is good or not in English, as I've never read it in English. In its Muttersprache it is beautiful and poetic. Beutler, in his afterword to the 1987 Reclam edition, claims that Die Leiden des jungen Werther is the first modern novel. I'm not enough of an expert on literary history to know if his cl...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Jacqueline Valencia rated it 5 of 5 stars

So many books I forget to put in here. And I will start putting them in as I remember them. Last night I dreamed of parts of this book, went to look up my collection here and had seen that I'd forgotten to put it in. The Sorrows...is one of my all-time favorite novels. I was running along College Street just before dawn in Toronto (2009, I believe?). Part of the street was closed off for construction so I ran through part of the street as opposed to the sidewalk.

There on the wet ground was an o...more So many books I forget to put in here. And I will start putting them in as I remember them. Last night I dreamed of parts of this book, went to look up my collection here and had seen that I'd forgotten to put it in. The Sorrows...is one of my all-time favorite novels. I was running along College Street just before dawn in Toronto (2009, I believe?). Part of the street was closed off for construction so I ran through part of the street as opposed to the sidewalk.

There on the wet ground was an old paperback copy of The Sorrows...I looked around for someone or something to put it on, so its owner could find it, but to no avail. I put it in my jacket pocket and when I arrived home I put up a notice in the LJ Toronto community to see if anyone would claim it. No one did.

I leafed though its pages one afternoon and started reading it. I found the prose hilarious at first. I found it flowery, elitist and misogynist. Then there were these inspired turns of phrase, a way of writing that went far beyond Goethe's years then, and the change in attitude when he finally decided his fate. At first he speaks of Lotte, his unrequited, with exaggerated words and then, it gets mellifluous and colorful, as if he were painting his emotions and not just her. What I can only describe as elation and connection in those moments, made me a convert. Well, Faust was amazing to me, but I didn't even have to plow through The Sorrows.. It just grew on me as I read it. I think it's because there are so many future movements and ideas that Goethe inadvertently foreshadows here, that makes this book a must for anyone in fiction, science-fiction or non-fiction, to read (yes, as much as Voltaire's Candide). It's not clairvoyance, it's logical truth from the heart.

I highly recommend The Sorrows... or any Goethe, for that matter.

p.s. I also get the proto-fascist romanticism in it. I write this review from a writer's perspective. Politics, however, is another matter in here altogether which would be better for a longer review.(less)

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Jul 13, 2012 Madalina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Madalina by: Ioana Ciuca

Shelves: suicide, love, romanticism

Iata, iata, inc-un clasic. Probabil singurul pe care nu l-am citit ca sa ma "laud", cum spune Bertrand Russel. Nu pot sa spun ca antipatia mea pentru stilul pompos se duce prea repede, insa trebuie sa admit ca ai mult mai putine aspecte de comentat la "Academia Vampirilor".

"Suferințele tânărului Werther" a aparut in 1774 si a creat o moda: intai oamenii au inceput sa se imbrace ca personajul eponim (sau ca Charlotte, dupa gust) si dupa aceea au inceput sa se sinucida ca el. Cartea a fost, pe ace...more Iata, iata, inc-un clasic. Probabil singurul pe care nu l-am citit ca sa ma "laud", cum spune Bertrand Russel. Nu pot sa spun ca antipatia mea pentru stilul pompos se duce prea repede, insa trebuie sa admit ca ai mult mai putine aspecte de comentat la "Academia Vampirilor".

"Suferințele tânărului Werther" a aparut in 1774 si a creat o moda: intai oamenii au inceput sa se imbrace ca personajul eponim (sau ca Charlotte, dupa gust) si dupa aceea au inceput sa se sinucida ca el. Cartea a fost, pe acest principiu (din cauza ca, aparent, glorifica sinuciderea) interzisa in cate va orase/regiuni si admirabilul autor, care tocmai capatase atentia de care are nevoie orice scriitor infometat, a scos alte doua editii revizuite (sau adaugite, oricum) in care incerca sa o... "netezeasca", cu Biserica si burghezia. In orice caz, Napoleon a iubit aceasta opera si a luat-o cu el prin campanii si, la sfarsitul zilei, nu poti sa ai publicitate mai buna de atat.

In ceea ce priveste povestea, pe scurt: (view spoiler)

Deoarece romanul este in mare parte alcatuit din jumatatea de corespondenta atribuita lui Werther, acesta contine foarte putin dialog, in favoarea descrierii, a naratiunii si a monologului. Naratiunea propriu-zisa este foarte simpla, si descrierea este folosita pentru a reda pe Charlotte, figurantii si ceea ce as numi "decorul romantic", mult mai temperat ca Eminescu. Ceea ce ramane asadar este monologul, o retorica infocata pe tema naturii umane, a sinuciderii, in acest context, si a multor alte asemenea subiecte aferente.

Nu este ceea ce as numi o lectura care te prinde, insa ofera cateva subiecte interesante:
1. Proasta dispozitie ca viciu
2. "Cine va arunca prima piatră în soţul care, cu o dreaptă mânie, îşi omoară soţia necredincioasă şi omoară şi pe nemernicul seducător?"
3. Pasiunea si rationalitatea
4. "Firea omenească, urmai eu, îşi are limitele ei: ea poate suporta bucurie, suferinţă, dureri până la un anumit punct, şi piere de îndată ce punctul acela a fost depăşit. Aşadar, aici nu e vorba dacă cineva e tare sau slab, ci dacă poate suporta greutatea suferinţei lui morale sau fizice. A spune că omul care îşi curmă singur viaţa e laş mi se pare tot atât de ciudat ca a spune că e laş acela care moare de nişte friguri primejdioase." - Viata ca o boala, sinuciderea, "consecinta" a mortii naturale a sufletului,

Daca ar fi sa mentionez un aspect mai rar intalnit este ca (view spoiler) nu a fost gelozie propriu-zisa, ci departarea. Ceea ce il distruge este nevoia tot mai puternica de a fi alaturi de Charlotte atunci cand stie ca acest lucru nu-i este permis si, mai mult, ca ea-l iubeste pe Albert. Werther, pana in ultimul moment, se poarta foarte civilizat cu Albert, il respecta, chiar. Treptat incepe sa fie aproape dezgustat de propria slabiciune, de acele vise, spre sfarsit, cand intelege ca nu se mai poate preface pentru mult timp.(less)

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Mar 19, 2010 David Gallagher rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, books-i-own

"The things I know, anyone can know - but my heart is mine and mine alone."

This has got to be one of my all-time favorite books. Haunting, devastating, soul-stirring, a fist to the stomach. All the tragedy of true love in a Goethe masterpiece. The descriptive majesty of the book is beyond comprehension. A truly amazing book, one that I am happy to have read in my lifetime and one I would suggest to everyone, especially those who have loved someone more than themselves.

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Feb 18, 2009 julieta rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: europa

Siempre me he considerado una romántica, o cuando menos mínimamente sensible. Me emociono con momentos extraños en las películas, digo, se me pone china la piel, me gustan los días de primavera, y el invierno a veces me pone medio triste. Y tengo algunos días en donde me siento más emocional que en otros.

En fin, que tampoco soy una racional de las que no dejan pasar los sentimientos. No puedo con la violencia en ninguna de sus formas, y hay canciones que me hacen llorar.
Pero Werther resulta dem...more Siempre me he considerado una romántica, o cuando menos mínimamente sensible. Me emociono con momentos extraños en las películas, digo, se me pone china la piel, me gustan los días de primavera, y el invierno a veces me pone medio triste. Y tengo algunos días en donde me siento más emocional que en otros.

En fin, que tampoco soy una racional de las que no dejan pasar los sentimientos. No puedo con la violencia en ninguna de sus formas, y hay canciones que me hacen llorar.
Pero Werther resulta demasiado para mí. Es un exaltado! Vive con los sentimientos a flor de piel, en la pura intensidad, enamorado de la naturaleza, y no se diga de su Carlota. Le encantan los niños, y parece vivir en una realidad aparte, en donde la naturaleza y el amor son lo único que importa.

A mí me parece que es un egoísta, por más que diga que lo conmueven las cosas, parecen conmoverlo solo por el hecho de que se convierten en caprichos. Parece estar tan preocupado en sus dramas, que su percepción del mundo se transforma en algo a favor o en contra suyo. Le tiene odio a Alberto, el marido de Carlota, porque es el que vive con su amada. Pero Alberto es un tipo que quiere bien al amigo de Carlota, se porta amable con él, no le tiene la menor mala onda, y al contrario, hasta sale de la habitación cuando él entra para no incomodarlo.

Supongo que es arquetípico el personaje, del romántico sin tregua, el que no logra encontrarse su lugar en este mundo racional, el que lucha por sus ideales, puramente románticos. Pero no puedo decir que entiendo muy bien al personaje mismo, me dan ganas de darle un par de chachetadas para que reaccione.

Una vida tan corta y con tan poco sentido que se va al traste, porque no llega a apaciguar lo que siente. Como le dice Carlota: “Ah, por qué habeis nacido con ese fuego indomable y esa apasionada violencia que mostraís en vuestros afectos?”

La pasión es una parte intrínseca de estar vivo. De eso no tengo dudas, pero cuando esa pasión sobrepasa al sentido de vivir, me da un poco de coraje.

Una buena historia, y buen retrato de un personaje, pero que frustrante!
(less)

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Jan 30, 2013 girl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A wonderful read.
I first came across this book in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein - one of the books Frankenstein's monster found, constituting a part of the creature's first literary education.
In picking this up, I set my mind to feel, and think, what Frankenstein's monster felt, and thought of it: In the Sorrows of Werther, besides the interest of its simple and affecting story, so many opinions are canvassed, and so many lights thrown upon what had hitherto been to me obscure subjects, that I fo...more

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Jun 22, 2012 Antonomasia added it · review of another edition

Shelves: european-classics, germany, 2012, eighteenth-century, decadents-aesthetes-and-romantics

Oh dear, poor Werther. Read safely in one's thirties - after repeated experiences, knowing that the most anguished longings fade eventually, and must simply be waited out and, when lucky, used for inspiration - he's somewhat difficult to identify with. ...And what a waste of a perfectly healthy intelligent person. Goethe based the character on himself and he of course thankfully stuck around until a great age and was very productive, having had the catharsis of doing himself in on the page only....more Oh dear, poor Werther. Read safely in one's thirties - after repeated experiences, knowing that the most anguished longings fade eventually, and must simply be waited out and, when lucky, used for inspiration - he's somewhat difficult to identify with. ...And what a waste of a perfectly healthy intelligent person. Goethe based the character on himself and he of course thankfully stuck around until a great age and was very productive, having had the catharsis of doing himself in on the page only.

Throughout the book, there is such vivid description of landscape and people that the sense of present-ness and strength of feeling makes it confoundingly life-affirming, even when Werther himself is bloody miserable - or being terribly fussy and hopelessly idealistic about employers in that way of bright arrogant early-twentysomethings.

Whilst Werther evidently has an unusual and prolonged obsession (it seems odd to me that he doesn't start getting over Lotte at all after more than six months away from her, and knowing that she was married), it was also irritating to note that Lotte, quietly revelling in the attention, does nothing to discourage him. Only very late in the book does she show any self-awareness, realise her own feelings or contemplate that she could, perhaps, have tried to set him up with a friend. But she's so young too...

The tragedy of the story is driven by the constraints of the era as much as by Werther's psychology: if society did not decree that Lotte must stay with Albert, then Werther may not have died. (But in the alternative-history version, it's also possible that her eardrums may have grown tired of the onslaught of Werther's love-turned-up-to-11; who knows?)

Her final, most irresponsible action, led me to wonder if it had inspired Lovborg's fate in Hedda Gabler.

I looked at all available translations on Amazon before getting a copy; this Corngold one flows as a very quick read, yet also conveys Werther's seismic emotions.

Werther is the daddy (and Romeo & Juliet perhaps the grandparents) of that pernicious cultural meme about suicidality as a response to lost love - a trope so widespread that to a species of vulnerable teenage mind without steadying influences and credible alternative information, it can seem like a variation on normal and acceptable behaviour. Yet I can't go finger-wagging about Bad Influences, as art would hardly be art - no matter true expression and comunication of human experience and ideas- if its contents were sanitised for health and safety purposes, and we were left with nothing but improving moral tales and self-help tomes.(less)

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Sep 10, 2012 Lewis Weinstein added it

Shelves: ch-research, ch-reviews

I am reading this (again) because it will be read by my character - Anna, a young Polish girl. The wide range of reactions from GR readers gives me many ways to portray Anna's feelings as she reads the book and discusses it with her girlfriend Roza.

So now I have read the book, and I have to say I was monumentally bored. Werther is a real pain and I never felt any sympathy for his interminable discussions of self-inflicted problems. And I consider myself a romantic.

However, my reactions are irre...more I am reading this (again) because it will be read by my character - Anna, a young Polish girl. The wide range of reactions from GR readers gives me many ways to portray Anna's feelings as she reads the book and discusses it with her girlfriend Roza.

So now I have read the book, and I have to say I was monumentally bored. Werther is a real pain and I never felt any sympathy for his interminable discussions of self-inflicted problems. And I consider myself a romantic.

However, my reactions are irrelevant. My job here is to fashion the emotional and intellectual reactions of two 14 year old Polish/Jewish girls who have no experience with boys let alone with love. For them Werther and Charlotte represent forbidden territory - exciting, sad, risque, confusing. The travel to exotic places will also be thrilling for two girls who have never been outside their small shtetl. "Sorrows" offers many avenues for me and my eventual readers to get to know Anna and her friend.

Here is a selection of what GR readers have said about "Sorrows" ...

beautiful, emotionally intense ... a great love story ... for a short novel Goethe says a lot of important things ... a perfect psychological portrait ... Werther isn't an entirely sympathetic character ... beautiful descriptions of his surroundings and the countryside ... a perfect example of how obsession can ultimately lead to personal emptiness ... apparently Napoleon was a huge fan ... Most beautiful book I've ever read ... This is s dangerous book. For anyone who has suffered from unrequited love that burns like a fever will be able to relate uncannily well with this book. Unfortunately the ending is such that it inspired many people to use it like a template for their own lives when faced with a similar situation. ... Haunting, devastating, soul-stirring, a fist to the stomach. All the tragedy of true love ... suggest to everyone, especially those who have loved someone more than themselves (Anna has not yet loved) ... strength of feeling makes it confoundingly life-affirming, even when Werther himself is bloody miserable ... a case study in severe depression and angst, not "love." ... consumed with complex and extreme emotions, loneliness, frustration, and constant thoughts of death ... I wanted to shake Werther by the arm or better so, slap him it the face ... his obsession with feeling, his infatuation with the sublime, his complete impatience with the everyday is totally exhausting ... Werther is probably one of the most irritating, whiney bitches in the history of literature ... I wanted to chuck the book across the room and tell him to stop whining ... Werther is a silly, hypocritical, naive and vain fool.

I thank you all for your comments.(less)

4 likes · like · see review

Nov 05, 2011 Shovelmonkey1 rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: 1001 book readers and stalkers in training

Recommended to Shovelmonkey1 by: 1001 books list

Shelves: 1001-books, bookcrossing-books, read-in-2011

Oh Werther, Werther, Werther. Someone got a little bit fixated didn't they? Taking a leaf straight out of Shakespeare's lover-lorn rule book (see Ophelia as example number one of a tragedy waiting to happen) Werther turns loving friendship into a full blown stalker obsession.
Here's a handy Werther style guide to obsession;
1. Meet a friendly young lady.
2. Be forewarned that she is already betrothed to another, and then pay no heed.
3. Write, think and talk about nothing else apart from the object...more

12 likes · like · see review

Jan 06, 2008 Amy Reed rated it 5 of 5 stars

Beautiful, beautiful language from wordsmith Goethe. A narrator (the story unfolds through the letters we read, from Werther to a friend) who is a beautiful character, exposing young, ever-fluctuating, inspiring, and sometimes unstable emotions ('young emotions' in that they are the sorts of emotions that are felt strongly by young people, the hopeless romantic young-and-dumb, the Werthers). You should read the book for these reasons: for its language, and because it is good for us to occasional...more

3 likes · like · see review

Nov 15, 2007 Katie Abbott Harris rated it 4 of 5 stars

For being written in 1774, this German novella is a timeless classic. It is often described as a romance or tragic love story, but I'd have to disagree with that description. What I experienced was a case study in severe depression and angst, not "love." But that's just semantics. Goethe wrote the book as a series of letters from Werther to his friend Wilhelm. Werther finds himself "in love" (obsessed) with a girl, Charlotte, who is engaged to another man, Albert. He is consumed with complex and...more

8 likes · like · see review

Jun 27, 2012 Clarissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

For who likes romantic stories, this is the most beautiful I've ever read. Poetry is always behind the main character's thoughts. To be honest, sometimes, you just stop reading and take a breathe, because it's not a simple novel. I think the most incredible topic of this reading is the real love. I mean, today, we don't have anymore this thing that a man has to be a real gentleman. So, this novel shows us how it used to be. This beautiful love story show us what is real love and what it does mea...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 17, 2009 Bea rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: please-give-me-back-my-time, german

It's definately a masterpiece of its age, but I can't count how many times throughout the book I wanted to shake Werther by the arm or better so, slap him it the face. The characters are just unbelievablly stupid. I know that the times were different, but still they should know better. And the fact that the book caused a lot of people to commit suicide doesn't help at all.
I can't believe Goethe wasted his talent on such a wortless novel.

9 likes · like · see review

Feb 02, 2013 Marts (Thinker) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, philosophy, 2013-reads

Oh dear god, the lengths some would go for the opposite sex... This is a wonderfully related tale by von Goethe, however, it gets a tad bit depressing. Here, Werther writes letters to his friend Wilhelm during his stay at Wahlheim. Though he likes the atmosphere all changes upon his meeting Charlotte and the change is quite extreme...

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 25, 2008 Catherine rated it 3 of 5 stars

When The Sorrows came out it got the reputation of having inspired a number of copy-cat suicides (not true), but I've wondered for awhile what I would find inspiring in it. Werther sees so much in people, in nature, but his obsession with feeling, his infatuation with the sublime, his complete impatience with the everyday is totally exhausting. You could say it's depressing, but what really makes it a tough read is the sensitivity of Goethe's feeling for the soul state of someone working himself...more

4 likes · like · see review

Nov 10, 2007 Danica rated it 4 of 5 stars

werther's descent is incredible to behold and i understand now why barthes was so keen on citing his behavior. i'd also never read goethe before and was floored by the use of language, which ( even though i finished this a few weeks ago) i recall as solid and lush all at the same time.

short, morbid, and a good preview for Madame Bovary, even though I went out of order.

*******************************************************************************************
bought this to keep from stealing it...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 30, 2012 Bryan rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Literary Enthusiasts

Shelves: fiction, blogged, recommend, classic-literature

A great story of an anti-hero.

Goethe did a good job of taking the reader into the mind of a person lost in self-love and addiction to sympathy until he allowed those tragic flaws to lead him to self-destruction.

The ending phrase, [...they buried him on the hill as he requested, and no priest came to his funeral.] was good.

It was interesting to me that, as the story drew on, I began to feel sorrow for Werther myself. Yet, from the work of the masterful storyteller, I never excused his irrational...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 08, 2008 Roland rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1001-books-you-must-read-before-you

I don't think I've been this annoyed by a main character since "The Catcher in the Rye." Werther is probably one of the most irritating, whiney bitches in the history of literature. I never once felt an ounce of pity for this obsessive, creepy guy, and I can understand completely why the girl pushes him away. A very unattractive personality, and I don't know what the hell was going on at the time to make readers swoon for his "sorrows." I kept waiting for him to finally shoot himself, and when h...more

6 likes · like · see review

Mar 09, 2012 Ashley rated it 3 of 5 stars

I kept going back and forth on this book as I read it. There are some passages that are beautifully written, and Goethe can really encapsulate what longing feels like or how complex life can be. Werther is a complex character, and with this plot, it would've been really easy for him to fall flat and be one-dimensional. His character is both admirable and appalling, humble and arrogant. I found that interesting.

BUT, there were also many moments where I wanted to chuck the book across the room an...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 05, 2012 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: amazing-writing, brain-junkfood, lovey-dovey

The thing I loved the most about this book was the ending. I mean for Werther, his love was so powerful and so all consuming that he couldn't stand the idea of her being with someone else and I find that truly beautiful.

Furthermore, the layout of the novel was interesting, since it is mostly composed of letters that Werther sent to his brother, with the exception of a few chapters in which the author had to make do with information from other people.

The book is absolutely beautiful and one of my...more

1 like · like · see review

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About Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer. George Eliot called him "Germany's greatest man of letters... and the last true polymath to walk the earth." Goethe's works span the fields of poetry, drama, literature, theology, humanism, and science. Goethe's magnum opus, lauded as one of the peaks of world literature, is the two-part drama Faust. Goethe's other well-known literary works include h...more

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“The human race is a monotonous affair. Most people spend the greatest part of their time working in order to live, and what little freedom remains so fills them with fear that they seek out any and every means to be rid of it.” — 166 people liked it

“No one is willing to believe that adults too, like children, wander about this earth in a daze and, like children, do not know where they come from or where they are going, act as rarely as they do according to genuine motives, and are as thoroughly governed as they are by biscuits and cake and the rod.” — 49 people liked it

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