Literary Letters Presents: The Sorrows of Young Werther
Please read the Content Warnings on this one (important stuff in bold)
The next book on Literary Letters will be The Sorrows of Young Werther. It is a German novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, released in 1774. It belongs to the Sturm und Drang (“storm and stress”) movement in German literature, which featured expression of the extremes of emotion, as well as the elevation of nature. The movement emerged as a reaction against the rationality of the Enlightenment. The Sturm and Drang movement, and The Sorrows of Young Werther in particular, influenced the later Romantic movement in English literature. Most notably, it is one of three books that inspire Frankenstein’s monster in Mary Shelley’s novel.
Told through a series of letters from Werther to his friend Wilhelm. Werther is of a gentle, artistic, and philosophical temperament - he often waxes poetic on the beauties of nature, the simplicity of peasant life, or the violent state of his emotions. The story follows Werther as he falls in love with Charlotte. This love is doomed by her existing betrothal to a man named Albert. Werther is gripped by despair whether he stays with her or leaves for both of their sakes. He believes that there can be no end to suffering until he or Albert is dead.
The events of the novel take place over nearly two years. Some periods have long gaps between letters of up to a month. During these interludes, I will send out a weekly poem written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, to keep the memory and mood of the story within your mind.
Goethe wrote the novel in just five and a half weeks at the age of 24, basing it on his own youthful infatuation with a betrothed woman named Charlotte. It quickly became popular. Many young people were inspired to “Werther fever”, buying Werther-themed merchandise such as prints, decorated porcelain, and perfume; dressing up in Werther’s style; and indulging in the indolence and emotionality with which he is described. The Sorrows of Young Werther was one of Goethe’s best known works, even in his old age when he had denounced the Romantic movement as “everything that is sick.” Yet, he always recognized the forceful impact of the novel on young people and on his own life, which inspired him to rework the book into its 1787 edition. (We will be reading the original 1774 edition, in its English translation by R.D. Boylan from 1854.)
Content Warning: “Werther fever” also inspired multiple “copycat suicides” - the first recorded cases of this phenomenon. Young men unlucky in love would be found dead dressed in similar clothing to Werther, using similar pistols, and with a copy of the book at the scene. Given the time period, these reports are difficult to substanstiate. They did, however, lead to the book being banned in several countries, sometimes alongside the clothing and merchandise trends he inspired. There are passages where the book discusses Werther’s depression, despair, rationalizations for suicide, and the suicide itself at length, so please take whatever precautions you need to read the book safely, which may include buddy reading, mental health breaks, or skipping it altogether.
For those who cannot join in for this book, consider joining in with the second annual Dracula Daily, catching up on Whale Weekly (a long running Moby Dick serial email list), or checking out The Public Domain Book Club, which starts a new book each month. I’ve pre-scheduled posts for the summer, since I’ll be on a research trip. I may post bonus content as I’m able to during the summer and hope to share some shorter works in the fall and winter on Side Stories, before posting the third in the Lightning Conductor series there next Spring. From the Literary Letters page, you can select Manage Subscription under your profile icon to subscribe Side Stories.
The Sorrows of Young Werther will begin May 3, 2023 and end December 22, 2024. It will be followed by a quick Christmas short story, Colonel Crockett’s Co-Operative Christmas, hopefully offsetting Werther’s less-than-festive ending, then we’ll dive straight into another long classic novel, Clarissa, in January of 2025.
Thanks to Project Gutenberg and Distributed Proofreaders for providing the text for this work of public domain literature - and many, many others.