The Sorrows of Young Werther in Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die

Dec 17, 2011 Francisco rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: novela, clasicos, alemanes

Obra maestra del romanticismo, con una magnífica composición, personajes apasionados, entornos melancólicos y referencias culturales que nos permiten sufrir con Werther... Eso sí, su comportamiento hoy en día sería tildado de patológico.

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Apr 28, 2008 Rebecca rated it liked it

Shelves: classics

Caution of terminal Romanticism.
*shakes fist at fatal longing*

My idol of that era is Bettina Brentano...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2003/...
*cuts 'n' pastes*

"Who," asked Napoleon Bonaparte, "is that fuzzy young person?" She was Elisabeth Brentano, known simply as Bettina. Actually, Napoleon was not among her conquests, nor was he her type.

She did not jump into his lap, as she did with Goethe, or croon her name into his ear, as with Beethoven, or go for intimate walks, as with Karl Marx. N ...more

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Apr 09, 2008 Suvi rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: novels, 1700s, _europe-western

Lost my nerve with this one. I guess I just wasn't in the mood of reading someone whining all the time. I couldn't even concentrate on some of the lovely quotable sentences. Not my type of book at all. ...more

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Jul 08, 2012 Arukiyomi rated it liked it

Shelves: 1001-books

Heard that this is one of the most accessible Goethe’s and so it made sense to start with it. I’ve not read any of the German classic writer before. How was it? It was okay, but my reading of it was somewhat tainted by having already read Armstrong’s Conditions of Love in which he illustrates archetypal romance and infatuation with reference to Werther.

That Armstrong would do this illustrates the legacy of this short novel. It’s depiction of the dramatic and extreme emotions that Werther goes th Heard that this is one of the most accessible Goethe’s and so it made sense to start with it. I’ve not read any of the German classic writer before. How was it? It was okay, but my reading of it was somewhat tainted by having already read Armstrong’s Conditions of Love in which he illustrates archetypal romance and infatuation with reference to Werther.

That Armstrong would do this illustrates the legacy of this short novel. It’s depiction of the dramatic and extreme emotions that Werther goes through were a break with tradition at the time of Goethe’s Germany. If Werther’s behaviour seems extreme to us now, they probably seemed even more so to Goethe’s contemporary readers.

That’s not to say that his readers could not relate to the character of Werther in real life. After all, the novel is based, in part, on Goethe’s own romantic experiences. I think what made the book revolutionary was that someone was putting it down in print and being so frank about it. The literary age was dominated by a conservatism in feeling that made Goethe’s work a sensation. Even Napoleon loved praised it and we all know how hard a man he was to please.

The novel has definitely lost some of its original impact. Of that there is no doubt. Readers ignorant of its place in the history of the novel will be tempted to just say it is yet another overblown romance. I certainly was.

But the novel is worth reading more than simply for its place in history. Werther lives in all of us as we get caught up in feelings that make rational sense to us while all around us people think we’re off the wall. And his solution to the dilemma of unrequited love is something I think most of those honest enough to admit would say we ourselves have considered from time to time. If we haven’t, we’re either lying or not really allowing ourselves to experience life to the full.

And that’s where the novel makes an important contribution to our world, questioning as it does so, the notion that we are in control and that by attempting to be so, we are somehow able to actually live. I very much appreciated this challenge. It is a challenge we could do with hearing more frequently, particularly in the west. ...more

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Oct 06, 2016 Elizabeth marked it as to-read

Recommended by Professor Nancy Parker.

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Sep 15, 2016 Lucy rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001-booklist

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

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May 02, 2008 Anna rated it it was ok

This was a nightmare to read in highschool. The diary of a guy, very romantic in this 19th century style, was horrible for a 20th century teenager. Sometimes it was good - but only sometimes.

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