March 9, 2009
Sorrows of Young Werther
Epistolary novel
written primarily in the form of
letters
allows reader to get private thoughts of people involved
not official account
get to know characters as they really are; moral character
what they reveal
about themselves in innermost private moments
religious quality in Germany
personal writing style comes from Pietism
radical form of Protestantism
practice prayer & writing feelings in diary & autobiographical form
Goethe takes religious style of writing & makes it secular
Opening of Novel
nature
description reflects Werther’s mood
nature reflects his soul
nature is where he finds God
pagan
Spinoza
philosopher who talks about God not being a thing but in the universe
Goethe
against science; nature is not an object to dissect; to understand nature you
have to understand humans as a part of nature, not separate from it and analyzing it
complaint: people who are at the court/in the government are trapped in their roles
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- Spring '09
- Johnson
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Epistolary novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther, Young Werther, Werther’s mood
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