The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774)

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.

Soo, I know this is part of a historical period, and it's very representative of a literary movement and yada yada yada. But seriously, dude - man up already. And I mean this in a very non-sexist way. ( )

I'm not really sure how to rate this book. Werther annoyed me tremendously, but then again I felt that maybe he was meant to get on the reader's nerves. It was beautifully written, and I enjoyed and could sympathize with him...until he fell in love. Maybe it is because I've never been so desperately in love ( or was it obsession only? ). Maybe it is because I have more understanding for worrying about killing ants and just feeling so painfully alive than for pining away for anyone. I suppose I'm just not the romantically obsessive type. Somehow I just couldn't understand his suicide, was annoyed by his plaguing Charlotte, and so on. The last part was a drag to get through. Still, I feel it is a great book, so I'm not about to rate it badly for having an annoying main character. Especially because I don't think this story was ever intended to be all that romantic. ( )

If you've ever been twisted and tortured by love - if you've ever had your heart broken or broken a heart yourself, you'll appreciate The Sorrows of Young Werther. This tale of love gone wrong still rings true today, even though it was published in 1774.

Here's a link to my complete review:
http://booktothefuture.com.au/?p=1343 ( )

Uh..really? There's a moment in this little book where Lotte (the female love interest) looks squarely at Werther and says "Be a man." That pretty much sums up my feelings about this book. The great thing about being a grown up is not being controlled by one's emotions. Plus I'm always bothered by romances that end that way- it makes light of real mental illness, I feel. I found out, interestingly enough, that Goethe later distanced himself from the work, saying it was horrible. Which it is. ( )