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The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774)

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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7,8691191,071 (3.62)244
Classic Literature. Fiction. HTML:

The 1774 publication of the epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther transformed its 24-year-old author, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, into a world-renowned literary sensation virtually overnight. The story centers on Werther, a highly sensitive artist who has channeled his passionate temperate into his unrequited love for Lotte, a beautiful young lady who is still reeling from the aftermath of her mother's death. Regarded as a masterpiece of the Romantic era, this lyrical meditation on love and loss will resonate with anyone whose affections have been spurned.

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  1. 10
    Last Letters of Jacopo Ortis by Ugo Foscolo (roby72)
  2. 21
    White Nights by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (hpfilho)
    hpfilho: Both are extremely romantic stories about a platonic love.
  3. 00
    The New Sorrows of Young W by Ulrich Plenzdorf (bluepiano, JuliaMaria)
    bluepiano: A very fetching modern variation of Goethe's novel.
  4. 00
    Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Cecrow)
    Cecrow: Wilhelm Meister appears in 'Werther'.
  5. 00
    A Sad Affair by Wolfgang Koeppen (bluepiano)
    bluepiano: A more easily swallowed and more closely autobiographical German tale of unrequited love, from the late 1930s.
  6. 00
    Last Words from Montmartre by Miaojin Qiu (Cecrow)
  7. 00
    Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Adriel.Watt)
  8. 00
    Lotte in Weimar by Thomas Mann (Cecrow)
    Cecrow: Mann developed his narrative almost as a response to Goethe's novel The Sorrows of Young Werther.
  9. 01
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English (85)  Spanish (8)  German (6)  Dutch (4)  Catalan (3)  Portuguese (Brazil) (2)  Italian (2)  Portuguese (Portugal) (2)  French (2)  Danish (1)  Swedish (1)  Portuguese (1)  All languages (117)
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A very dramatic precursor to romantic period fiction, in which young Werther's life ends badly. ( )
  mykl-s | Aug 13, 2023 |
It is not hard to see why this book was banned with its glorification of death and suicide. But what's interesting and still relevant today is young Werther's musings and class differences and life. There were memorable passages about ill-humor - how one's ill-humour affects others and therefore we should control our mood and not let it affect the people around us. ( )
  siok | Mar 5, 2023 |
To our cynical, postmodern sensibilities, Werther may well come across as an arrogant, pompous and misguided young fool who is likely displaying the symptoms of bipolar disorder. However, anybody with a passing interest in the Romantic Movement should read this seminal novel. Given the bland, aseptic world we live in, perhaps we need a few messy, idealistic characters like the protagonist. ( )
  JosephCamilleri | Feb 21, 2023 |
This book was required reading in school for me and, to be honest, analyzing every letter didn't help appreciating this well-known classic of German literature. Its significance can be seen in the fact that so many people committed suicide because they were so deeply moved by Werther's feelings, yet I wasn't able to get into Werther's narrative perspective and thus had trouble getting through the book. Nevertheless, a classic which is worthy of its status due to its literary significance and some important topics. ( )
  Councillor3004 | Sep 1, 2022 |
The pain of loving in vain taken to the extreme! Young Werther’s profound expressions of deep anguish are even more heart wrenchingly dramatic when read aloud. As someone well acquainted with unrequited love, I could not help but be moved. ( )
  dale01 | Mar 20, 2022 |
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▾Published reviews
The legend that it generated a teenage-suicide epidemic across Europe is dubious, but the novel’s international popularity two hundred years ago can’t be overstated. ... Werther’s sorrows didn’t look petty to Goethe or to his original audience, and they ought to feel even more familiar to us.
added by paradoxosalpha | editThe Believer, Benjamin Strong (Aug 1, 2004)
 
▾Other authors

» Add other authors (449 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe—primary authorall editionscalculated
Alavedra, JoanTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Auden, W. H.Translatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Baioni, GiulianoEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Bell, MatthewEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Beutler, ErnstAfterwordsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Chodowiecki, Daniel NikolausIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Corngold, StanleyTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Garagorri, PaulinoPrefacesecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Große, WilhelmKommentatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hulse, MichaelTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hutter, CatherineTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kilpi, VolterTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Leroux, PierreTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Maisak, PetraAfterwordsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Michels, HermannCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Morgan, Bayard QuincyTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Pike, BurtonTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Steinhauer, HarryTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Trunz, ErichHerausgebersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Weigand, Hermann J.Forewordsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
▾Series and work relationships

Is contained in

Sorrows of Young Werther: WITH Elective Affinities, Faust and Italian Journey (Everyman's Library classics) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The Sorrows of Young Werther / Elective Affinities / Novella by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The Sorrows of Young Werther and Selected Writings (Signet Classics) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The Sorrows of Young Werther / Novella by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Complete works by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Werther. Suivi de Hermann et Dorothée. by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
(show 30 more)
Goethes Werke Auswahl in zehn Bänden - Fünfter Band : Die Leiden des jungen Werthers; Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre: erstes bis viertes Buch by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
German Fiction by William Allan Neilson
The Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction [20 Volume Set] by Charles William Eliot (indirect)
The Harvard Classics & Shelf of Fiction [71 volume set] by Charles William Eliot (indirect)
Faust / The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The Sufferings of Young Werther / Elective Affinities by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The Sorrows of Young Werther / The New Melusina / Novella by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The Sorrows of Young Werther / Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Works of Goethe, Wilhelm Meister's Travels; The Recreations of the German Emigrants; The Sorrows of Young Werther; Elective Affinities by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Goethe : Romans by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Goethes Werke: Hamburger Ausgabe in 14 bänden (Band 6) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The Oxford Library of Short Novels Volume I: Goethe to Stevenson by John Wain
The Oxford Library of Short Novels {complete} by John Wain (indirect)
Great German Short Novels and Stories by Victor Lange
Great German Short Novels and Stories by Bennett Cerf
Goethe's Werke, Neunter und Zehnter Band by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Romanzi by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Werke in 6 Bänden by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Los sufrimientos del joven Werther. Reineke el zorro by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Gedichte und Balladen - Die Leiden des jungen Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Die LEIden des jungen Werther-Novelle.West-östlichcer Diwan by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Alemania by Johann W. Goethe
Opere by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Die Leiden des jungen Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Die Leiden des jungen Werthers. Das Märchen. Die Wahlverwandtschaften by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Goethes Werke - Epische Dichtungen I: Die Leiden des jungen Werther / Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre / Das Märchen by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
90 Masterpieces You Must Read (Vol.1): Novels, Poetry, Plays, Short Stories, Essays, Psychology & Philosophy by Various
Suhrkamp BasisBibliothek : Johann Wolfgang Goethe : Die Leiden des jungen Werthers by Wilhelm Große
Hamburger Lesehefte : Johann Wolfgang von Goethe : Die Leiden des jungen Werther by Uwe Lehmann
Hamburger Lesehefte plus Königs Materialien : Johann Wolfgang von Goethe : Die Leiden des jungen Werthe by Rüdiger Bernhardt (indirect)

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▾Common Knowledge
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Canonical title
The Sorrows of Young Werther
Original title
Die Leiden des jungen Werther
Die Leiden des jungen Werthers
Alternative titles
Original publication date
1774
People/Characters
Werther
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Epigraph
Dedication
First words
Quotations
Last words
Disambiguation notice
3458344756 2001 softcover German insel taschenbuch 2775, Große Klassiker
3458352007 2006 softcover German insel taschenbuch 3500, Das blaue insel taschenbuch
345836207X 2011 softcover German insel taschenbuch 4507
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
German
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC
PT2027.W3 P55
▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (2)

▾Book descriptions
Classic Literature. Fiction. HTML:

The 1774 publication of the epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther transformed its 24-year-old author, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, into a world-renowned literary sensation virtually overnight. The story centers on Werther, a highly sensitive artist who has channeled his passionate temperate into his unrequited love for Lotte, a beautiful young lady who is still reeling from the aftermath of her mother's death. Regarded as a masterpiece of the Romantic era, this lyrical meditation on love and loss will resonate with anyone whose affections have been spurned.

.
▾Library descriptions

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▾LibraryThing members' description
Book description
Der klassische, tragisch endende Liebesroman aus der Feder des jungen Goethe - ein Bestseller des ausgehenden 18. Jahrhunderts.
Haiku summary
An alpine meadow / Sweet scent of grass and flowers / Below - the abyss. (KangarooRat)
An artist doomed,
Consumed by helpless longing,
He needed Prozac.
(hillaryrose7)

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Melvil Decimal System (DDC)

833.6Literature › German literature and literatures of related languages › German fiction › 1750-1832 : 18th century, classical period, romantic period

LC Classification

PT2027.W3Language and Literature › German, Dutch and Scandinavian literatures › German literature › Individual authors or works › 1700-ca. 1860/70 › Goethe › Translations

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Penguin Australia

2 editions of this book were published by Penguin Australia.

Editions: 014044503X, 0141023449

W.W. Norton

An edition of this book was published by W.W. Norton.

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