Sorrows of Young Werther

Author: Goethe
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-10-01
Features: The plot of the book "The Sorrows of Young Werther" is quite simple. The protagonist Werther falls in love with the young woman Lotte, but Lotte is engaged to another young man. His emotions demand that he love, but his reason forbids it. In utter despair, Werther chooses the path of suicide. This novel is not entirely fictional; it embodies Goethe's life experiences. "The Sorrows of Young Werther" is a letter-form novel. The protagonist Werther is a young man from the bourgeois class who yearns for a life of freedom and equality, hopes to engage in meaningful practical work, but the society around him is filled with class prejudices and vulgar customs. The conservative and corrupt officialdom, the mediocre and submissive bourgeoisie, and the selfish and arrogant nobility constantly clash with him and the surrounding reality. At the same time, he is entangled in a hopeless love, which makes the sensitive and cynical protagonist grieve and weep over the collapse of his ideals, and ultimately resort to suicide as an act of protest. The novel exposes and criticizes many unreasonable phenomena of German society at the time and expresses the revolutionary sentiments of the awakening German youth. As a result, it had a strong impact in Europe upon its publication, spreading to various countries and becoming a work with significant international influence. "The Sorrows of Young Werther" was a rich fruit of the burgeoning "Sturm und Drang" movement in Germany at the time. The novel reflects the movement's advocacy of "returning to nature," and "nature" becomes the young protagonist's standard for judging everything, giving rise to a protest cry against the unnatural feudal society. Werther also has a negative side—he does not wish to reform society but only seeks the free expression of his individuality. He is alienated from the feudal society, yet he remains trapped in lonely sorrow and indignation, even committing suicide. These aspects reflect the inherent weaknesses of the "Sturm und Drang" movement itself.