Classic
The Sorrows of Young Werther
by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Summary
The sensitive young artist Werther falls hopelessly in love with Lotte, a woman already promised to another man, and pours his anguish into the letters that make up the novel. Goethe channels his own unrequited passion into Werther's spiraling despair, building toward a conclusion that shocked and fascinated readers across Europe. The book's raw emotional intensity helped define the Sturm und Drang movement and the wider Romantic sensibility that followed.
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Historical Context & Significance
Goethe published the novel in 1774 when he was only in his twenties, and it made him instantly famous throughout Europe. Its influence was so strong that young men began dressing like Werther, and the book is often credited with launching the Romantic era in literature.