I dolori del giovane Werther

Di Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I dolori del giovane Werther è un romanzo epistolare di Johann Wolfgang Goethe pubblicato nel 1774. Il Werther (come viene anche riduttivamente chiamato) appartiene all'età giovanile di Goethe ed è considerato opera simbolo del movimento dello Sturm und Drang, anticipando molti temi che saranno propri del romanticismo tedesco. Il romanzo è composto da una serie di lettere che il protagonista invia al suo amico Guglielmo nel corso di 20 mesi (dal maggio 1771 fino alla fine di dicembre dell'anno successivo). I dolori del giovane Werther è da molti considerato come il punto più alto, per quanto riguarda la prosa, della produzione dello Sturm und Drang ("tempesta e impeto"), cioè di quel movimento letterario che si sviluppò in Germania tra il 1765 e il 1785. Spesso c'è la tendenza a ridurre lo Sturm und Drang a pre-romanticismo, configurando così una forte opposizione tra questo movimento e il razionalismo illuminista.

• Lingua: Italiano
• Editore: Invictus Editore
• Data di uscita: 11 giu 2015
• ISBN: 9788979441482

Anteprima del libro

Indice

I DOLORI DEL GIOVANE WERTHER

Introduzione

LIBRO PRIMO

4 maggio 1771

10 maggio

12 maggio

13 maggio

15 maggio

17 maggio

22 maggio

26 maggio

27 maggio

30 maggio

16 giugno

19 giugno

21 giugno

29 giugno

Primo luglio

6 luglio

8 luglio

10 luglio

11 luglio

13 luglio

16 luglio

18 luglio

19 luglio

20 luglio

24 luglio

26 luglio

26 luglio

30 luglio

8 agosto

Di sera

10 agosto

12 agosto

15 agosto

18 agosto

21 agosto

22 agosto

28 agosto

30 agosto

3 settembre

10 settembre

LIBRO SECONDO

20 ottobre 1771

26 novembre

24 dicembre

8 gennaio 1772

20 gennaio

8 febbraio

17 febbraio

20 febbraio

15 marzo

16 marzo

24 marzo

Poscritto

19 aprile

5 maggio

9 maggio

25 maggio

11 giugno

16 giugno

18 giugno

29 luglio

4 agosto

21 agosto

3 settembre

4 settembre

5 settembre

6 settembre

12 settembre

15 settembre

10 ottobre

12 ottobre

19 ottobre

26 ottobre

27 ottobre

30 ottobre

3 novembre

8 novembre

15 novembre

21 novembre

22 novembre

24 novembre

26 novembre

30 novembre

Primo dicembre

4 dicembre

6 dicembre

L'EDITORE AL LETTORE

12 dicembre

14 dicembre

20 dicembre

Dopo le undici

I DOLORI DEL GIOVANE WERTHER

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

All Rights Reserved

Invictus società cooperativa editrice

Via Pasquale Galluppi, 85

47521 Cesena (FC)

Italia

Copyright © 2015 by Invictus società cooperativa

www.invictuseditore.it

Introduzione

Ho raccolto con cura e qui espongo quanto ho potuto trovare intorno alla storia del povero Werther, e so che me ne sarete riconoscenti. Voi non potrete negare la vostra ammirazione e il vostro amore al suo spirito e al suo cuore, le vostre lacrime al suo destino.

E tu, anima buona, che come lui senti l'interno tormento, attingi conforto dal suo dolore, e fai che questo scritto sia il tuo amico, se per colpa tua o della sorte non puoi trovarne di più intimi.

LIBRO PRIMO

4 maggio 1771

Come sono lieto di esser partito! Amico carissimo, che è mai il cuore dell'uomo! Ho lasciato te che amo tanto, dal quale ero inseparabile, e sono lieto! Pure so che tu mi perdonerai. Tutte le altre persone che conoscevamo non sembravano forse scelte apposta dal destino per angosciare un cuore come il mio?

Povera Eleonora! Eppure io ero innocente. Che potevo fare se mentre le grazie capricciose di sua sorella mi procuravano un piacevole passatempo, in quel povero cuore nasceva una passione? Ma... sono proprio del tutto innocente? Non ho forse alimentato i suoi sentimenti? Non mi sono dilettato delle sue sincere, ingenue espressioni che tanto spesso ci facevano ridere, e che erano invece così poco risibili? non ho io... Ah! l'uomo deve sempre piangere su se stesso! Io voglio, caro amico, e te lo prometto, io voglio emendarmi; non voglio più rimuginare quel po' di male che il destino mi manda, come ho fatto finora; voglio godere il presente e voglio che il passato sia per sempre passato. Senza dubbio tu hai ragione, carissimo, i dolori degli uomini sarebbero minori se essi - Dio sa perché‚ siamo fatti così! - se essi non si affaticassero con tanta forza di immaginazione a risuscitare i ricordi del male passato, piuttosto che sopportare un presente privo di cure.

Sarai così buono di dire a mia madre che sbrigherò nel miglior modo possibile i suoi affari e gliene darò notizie quanto prima. Ho parlato con mia zia e non ho affatto trovato in lei quella donna cattiva che da noi si ritiene lei sia. E' una donna ardente, passionale e di ottimo cuore. Le ho reso noti i lamenti di mia madre per la parte di eredità che lei ha trattenuta; me ne ha esposto le ragioni e mi ha detto a quali condizioni sarebbe pronta a rendere tutto, e anche più di quanto noi domandiamo. Basta, non voglio scrivere altro su questo; dì a mia madre che tutto andrà bene. Intanto, a proposito di questa piccola questione, ho osservato che l'incomprensione reciproca e l'indolenza fanno forse più male nel mondo della malignità e della cattiveria. Almeno queste due ultime sono certo più rare.

Del resto io qui mi trovo benissimo; la solitudine è un balsamo prezioso per il mio spirito in questo luogo di paradiso, e questa stagione di giovinezza riscalda potentemente il mio cuore che spesso rabbrividisce. Ogni albero, ogni siepe è un mazzo di fiori e io vorrei essere un maggiolino per librarmi in questo mare di profumi e potervi trovare tutto il mio nutrimento.

La città in se stessa non è bella, ma la circonda un indicibile splendore di natura. Questo spinse il defunto Conte M. a piantare un giardino sopra una delle colline che graziosamente si intrecciano e formano leggiadrissime valli. Il giardino è semplice, e si sente fin dall'entrare che ne tracciò il piano non un abile giardiniere, ma un cuore sensibile che qui voleva godere se stesso. Ho già sparso lacrime su colui che non è più, in quel cadente gabinetto che era un giorno il suo posticino favorito e che ora è il mio. Presto sarò padrone del giardino; il giardiniere mi si è già affezionato in questi pochi giorni e non dovrà pentirsene.

10 maggio

La mia anima è pervasa da una mirabile serenità, simile a queste belle mattinate di maggio che io godo con tutto il cuore. Sono solo e mi rallegro di vivere in questo luogo che sembra esser creato per anime simili alla mia. Sono così felice, mio caro, così immerso nel sentimento della mia tranquilla esistenza che la mia arte ne soffre. Non potrei disegnare nulla ora, neppure un segno potrei tracciare; eppure mai sono stato così gran pittore come in questo momento. Quando l'amata valle intorno a me si avvolge nei suoi vapori, e l'alto sole posa sulla mia foresta impenetrabilmente oscura, e solo alcuni raggi si spingono nell'interno sacrario, io mi stendo nell'erba alta presso il ruscello che scorre, e più vicino alla terra osservo mille multiformi erbette; allora sento più vicino al mio cuore brulicare tra gli steli il piccolo mondo degli innumerevoli, infiniti vermiciattoli e moscerini, e sento la presenza dell'Onnipossente che ci ha creati a sua immagine e ci tiene in una eterna gioia. Amico mio, quando dinanzi ai miei occhi si stende il crepuscolo e posa intorno a me il mondo e il cielo tutto nell'anima mia come la sembianza di donna amata, allora spesso sono preso da un angoscioso desiderio e penso: Ah, potessi tu esprimere tutto questo, trasfonderlo sulla carta così pieno e caldo come vive in te, e fosse questo lo specchio della tua anima, come la tua anima è lo specchio del Dio infinito. Ma mi sprofondo in un abisso e m'inchino alla potenza dello splendore di questa visione.

12 maggio

Io non so se spiriti ingannevoli si librino su questa contrada o se la calda, celeste fantasia che è nel mio cuore renda tutto così paradisiaco intorno a me. Ecco lì una fonte, una fonte alla quale io sono legato come Melusina alle sue sorelle. Tu scendi per un piccolo poggio e ti trovi dinanzi a un arco, da dove venti scalini ti conducono giù a una limpidissima acqua che sgorga da rocce marmoree. Il piccolo muro che chiude il recinto, gli alti alberi che l'ombreggiano intorno, la freschezza del luogo: tutto questo ha un non so che di piacevole e di attraente. Non passa giorno che io non sieda lì un'ora. Vengono dalla città le fanciulle ad attingere acqua, innocente e necessaria faccenda che una volta compivano le stesse figlie dei re. E quando sono lì, il mondo antico, patriarcale, rivive potentemente in me e ripenso come i nostri padri alla fontana stringevano e rompevano relazioni e come attorno alle fontane e alle sorgenti ondeggiassero spriti benefici.

Oh colui che non può partecipare a questi sentimenti, non deve mai essersi dissetato a una fresca fontana dopo una faticosa passeggiata, in un giorno d'estate!

13 maggio

Mi domandi se devi spedirmi i miei libri. Mio caro, te ne prego in nome di Dio, tienimeli lontani. Non voglio più esser guidato, ravvivato, infiammato; questo cuore arde abbastanza per se stesso; ho bisogno di un canto che mi culli, e questo l'ho trovato, in tutta la sua pienezza, nel vecchio Omero. Quante volte io calmo il mio sangue ardente... perché‚ tu non avrai mai visto nulla di così mutevole come il mio cuore. Amico mio, ho bisogno di dire questo a te che tanto spesso ne hai sopportato il peso e che mi hai visto passare dall'affanno ai più arditi sogni e da una dolce malinconia alla più funesta passione? Di modo che io considero il mio cuore come un bambino ammalato; e gli concedo ogni capriccio. Ma non lo dire a nessuno: ci sarebbero persone che non me lo perdonerebbero.

15 maggio

L'umile gente del villaggio ormai mi conosce, e tutti mi vogliono bene, specialmente i bambini. Sulle prime quando io mi univo a loro e li interrogavo amichevolmente su questo o su quello, alcuni credevano che io volessi prendermi gioco di loro e mi rispondevano bruscamente. Io non me ne ebbi a male, soltanto compresi più distintamente quanto spesso avevo già osservato: le persone di una certa condizione si tengono a una fredda distanza dal popolo, come se credessero di perdere qualche cosa avvicinandolo; vi sono poi giovani spensierati e malvagi burloni che ostentano di abbassarsi, per far maggiormente sentire alla povera gente la loro superbia.

So bene che noi non siamo n‚ possiamo essere tutti uguali; ma ritengo che colui il quale sente il bisogno di allontanarsi dalla cosiddetta plebe per averne il rispetto, è biasimevole quanto un codardo che si nasconda al suo nemico per tema di esserne ucciso.

Di recente andai alla fontana e trovai una giovane donna di servizio che aveva posato il secchio sull'ultimo scalino e guardava intorno per vedere se nessuna compagna venisse e l'aiutasse a posarselo sulla testa.

Io scesi e la guardai. - Posso aiutarvi? - le chiesi. Diventò rossa rossa e disse: - Oh no, signore. - Senza complimenti. - Si aggiustò il cercine e io l'aiutai. Mi ringraziò, e salì per la scala.

17 maggio

Ho fatto conoscenze d'ogni specie, ma non ho ancora trovato la SOCIETA'. Non so che cosa posso avere di attraente per questi uomini; molti di loro mi vogliono bene, mi seguono e a me dispiace quando la nostra via è comune solo per un piccolo tratto. Se tu mi domandi com'è qui la gente, dovrò risponderti: come dappertutto. La razza umana è cosa uniforme! I più passano la maggior parte del tempo lavorando per vivere e, nei brevi momenti di libertà che rimangono loro, si tormentano per cercare ogni mezzo per essere liberi. O destino degli uomini!

Del resto è proprio della buonissima gente. Talvolta io mi concedo un momento d'oblio e godo con loro le gioie che all'uomo sono concesse: sedere a una parca mensa con animo aperto e cordiale, fare una gita, disporre una ritmica danza, e simili cose; questo esercita allora su di me una benefica influenza: soltanto io non devo pensare a tante altre forze che sono latenti in me, e si corrompono inutilizzate, e che io devo accuratamente nascondere. Il mio cuore ne è angosciato. Ma, pure, essere incompresi è la sorte di tutti noi.

Se fosse qui l'amica della mia giovinezza, se io l'avessi conosciuta! Ma dovrei dire a me stesso: tu sei un pazzo, tu cerchi ciò che in nessun luogo si può trovare! Ma io l'ho avuta; ho sentito il suo cuore, la sua grande anima, e, al suo cospetto, mi sembrava di esser più di quello che io ero, perché‚ ero tutto ciò che potevo essere.

Buon Dio! c'era allora una sola forza della mia anima che rimanesse inattiva? non potevo io forse spiegare tutto il mirabile sentimento col quale il mio cuore comprende la natura? Non

Recensioni su I dolori del giovane Werther

[bookomaniac-1 · Valutazione: 2 su 5 stelle]

Interessant als historisch document dat de opgeklopte overgevoeligheid van de Romantiekers illustreert, maar absoluut ongeloofwaardig en literair maar matig genietbaar.

[enockpioulle · Valutazione: 5 su 5 stelle]

The quintessential romantic novel, it could easily be mistaken for a handbook on how to express your most intimate feelings as far as the things of the heart are concerned. However it's the superlative skills of the author that really counts: that Goethe is considered one of the greatest writers that ever lived come as no surprise after a few pages of this marvel. To read and reread forever.

[nsenger-1 · Valutazione: 4 su 5 stelle]

What a thing is the heart of man!- Goethe, The Sorrows of Young WertherIn The Sorrows of Young Werther, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe opens a window into the soul of his young protagonist, allowing the reader to witness first hand his tragic destiny. Young Werther suffers from a hopeless love for the enchanting Charlotte who is engaged to an older man. In a series of letters to his friend Wilhelm, Werther reveals the depths of his anguish. The Sorrows of Young Werther is a beautifully told tale of the interior of a human heart in conflict.First published in 1774, Goethe's epistolary novel has many of the hallmarks of literary romanticism: unattainable love, a passionate and sensitive protagonist, feelings bared open to the world, and a deep appreciation for nature. In his book The Novel 100, Daniel Burt calls The Sorrows of Young Werther "One of the defining works of European Romanticism."Werther is a young artist who moves to the village of Walheim where he meets the lovely Charlotte, daughter of the local judge. Charlotte's mother has died, leaving her to care for her brothers and sisters, and Werther becomes enamored of her, despite knowing that she is engaged to Albert, a man eleven years her senior. As he spends more time with Charlotte and Albert, Werther's love for Charlotte increases, and so does his torment at knowing she is unattainable. The letters Werther writes to his friend Wilhelm express both the intensity of his love and the pain it causes him.Goethe's novel is beautifully written and groundbreaking in its portrayal of a human soul. German literary scholar Karl Viëtor writes about the novel's significance:Among European novels Werther is the first in which an inward life, a spiritual process and nothing else, is represented, and hence it is the first psychological novel....The scene is the soul of the hero. All events and figures are regarded only in the light of the significance they have for Werther's emotion.One thing that stands out in the novel is the likability of all of its characters. This is a novel with no clear antagonist, no evil villain. Not only is Charlotte beautiful, but she is also kind, charming, and generous. Albert is a good man who loves Charlotte. Werther himself is a passionate, sensitive young man whose feelings for Charlotte are pure and innocent. And yet there is conflict in the novel. The reader feels it almost from the very first page. What should Werther do about his passionate feelings for Charlotte? Ignore them? Act on them? Suppress them and move on? What should Charlotte do, and Albert?These questions raise even deeper questions and invite the reader to reflect on his or her own beliefs about love and passion. What is love, and where does it come from? What is the role of emotion in relationships and what is the role of intellect?The Sorrows of Young Werther is well worth a read, not only for its beautiful prose, but also for its attempt to grapple with issues of love and passion.

[beabatllori · Valutazione: 2 su 5 stelle]

Soo, I know this is part of a historical period, and it's very representative of a literary movement and yada yada yada. But seriously, dude - man up already. And I mean this in a very non-sexist way.

[cecrow · Valutazione: 4 su 5 stelle]

I expected to dismiss this book, having read others' reviews in advance. Goethe himself often wished it forgotten after he wrote it, when it still haunted his legacy. Maybe he felt embarrassed by the biographical aspect and his own youthful foolishness. He was too hard on himself. It may be easy to deride Werther's sorrows and weakness, but Goethe did a fine job of capturing youth's irrational passions. There's a reason why it's so hard for adults to relate to teenagers, and I think this classic sums it up perfectly.Werther has to start high before he can fall, and he begins very high. His adoration of a pastoral scene is enough to trigger tears of happiness in him, demonstrating how commanded he is by emotional highs and lows. A storm is brewing - literally, as he is about to meet Charlotte for the first time. At first he is merely an admirer, desirous of her company but not overly wounded that she is engaged to Albert. He is still full enough of life that he can argue with Albert that moroseness is a sin: extreme dramatic irony on a re-read. But gradually admiration turns to obsession, as he begins to idealize his love and then encounters hardships with his attempt at a career, doubled by the impending marriage of Charlotte and Albert becoming fact. After that it's a swift slide to the bottom.Interesting arguments surface. Werther compares a wounded heart to dying of a disease; that there can only be so much pain before one's endurance is overcome, no matter how determined the mindset. Here he clearly ranks emotion above reason as the force which commands him. With this imbalance locked in, no appeal can save him. At this point the reader's loathing is liable to be set in as well. Just snap out of it! Accept what is, and move on! It's compounded by Werther being directionless and possibly too proud and lazy for his own good. He lives off his mother's allowance, and how old is he? Clearly I'm thinking like a parent, or at least a mature adult. To understand this character, I need to cast my mind further back.Can I never recall admiration for an unobtainable girl that led beyond reason? It would be a cold, hard life I've led if I could not. In youth our passions command us. We can hear and speak reason, but only within the context of values largely determined by our feelings. Urgency comes from desiring the company of an ideal vision of the opposite sex, unaware how much we are projecting onto the nearest target and value accordingly beyond what reason dictates. Puppy love transgresses into puppy idolization, to the detriment of the worshiper and the worshiped. I choose to pity Werther out of sympathy, but only up to the point where he contemplates suicide. That state is only obtainable by the sustaining of blind romantic notion far beyond anything I achieved. It is a reality that some are not so lucky. To deride Werther is to deride all youth who give way to irrational despair. Understand him, and you may perceive a life to be saved.

[katie_h_11 · Valutazione: 4 su 5 stelle]

For being written in 1774, this German novella is a timeless classic. It is often described as a romance or tragic love story, but I'd have to disagree with that description. What I experienced was a case study in severe depression and angst, not "love." But that's just semantics. Goethe wrote the book as a series of letters from Werther to his friend Wilhelm. Werther finds himself "in love" (obsessed) with a girl, Charlotte, who is engaged to another man, Albert. He is consumed with complex and extreme emotions, loneliness, frustration, and constant thoughts of death. The majority of the time, he comes across as overly dramatic and extremely whiny, and the reader finds herself wishing that he would just "get a grip." Forshadowing of the climax begins on the first page and continues frequently throughout the text. Even though Werther comes across as pathological, anyone who has ever experienced a broken heart or a situation of unrequited love will be able to relate to his experience. This is one of the must read fictional masterpieces, but be warned that it is very dark and very disturbing and probably isn't a good choice post break-up.

[sfisk_8 · Valutazione: 5 su 5 stelle]

This is one of the best tales of unrequited love I've ever readTruly a masterpiece and often overlooked

[josephcamilleri-1 · Valutazione: 4 su 5 stelle]

To our cynical, post-modern 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.

[annbury_1 · Valutazione: 4 su 5 stelle]

This is of course a great classic, which had a profound impact on the culture of its time. Sometimes, I truly appreciate great classics, for themselves as works of art, not just as for artifacts of culture. But sometimes, I can't make the breakthrough and get really involved with a work -- I observe it, rather than experience it. "The Sorrows of Young Werther", for me, was such a book. I am glad I finally read it (I have certainly read enough about it, over the years) but I won't do so again. Perhaps if I read German, or perhaps if I were a third as old as I am ----- .

[joshrothman · Valutazione: 5 su 5 stelle]

I didn't love this - until the end, when it becomes amazing. Advice: don't read this translation, get a newer one. And read Trilling's Sincerity and Authenticity.

[greeniezona · Valutazione: 4 su 5 stelle]

I had somehow mentally classified Goethe as "difficult to read classics" and had avoided him thus far. But somehow when I saw this charming little volume at my beloved bookstore's "going out of business" sale, I couldn't resist it.And it was charming. And not difficult to read at all. Told mostly in letters, and letters only from Young Werther, we get none of the replies at all -- we get not only a one-sided but a "how I want to represent myself to my friend" side of a young man's descent into romantic obsession with a woman he cannot have. Part of what makes it so fascinating is how many chances and choices he had along the way -- to realize this path would never make him happy, could only end in misery, to choose to go somewhere else, give himself a chance to love someone else. But at the same time, making those different choices would make him a different person. So do any of us really have any choice at all?

[aliceanna-1 · Valutazione: 2 su 5 stelle]

Nope. Life is too short. Next!

[joririchardson · Valutazione: 3 su 5 stelle]

I couldn't quite bring myself to enjoy this short tragedy by Goethe. It wasn't even 200 pages, but it took me longer than I had been expecting to get through it.It is the story of a young man in 1700's Germany named Werther. He falls in love with a young woman named Lotte, but she is already engaged to another man. Even after she is married, Werther continues to love her, and they form a friendship, which is both heavenly and torturous to the despairing Werther. The main thing that I disliked here was that I just wanted Werther to grow up and get over it. Reading the paragraph above, I must admit it is relatively sad, but really now. It doesn't even sound like the plot of a tragedy, just perhaps an unfortunate sub-plot. Werther sees negativity in everything, and is constantly wishing he was dead and dwelling on suicide and weeping over his letters / journal. I have to admit that sometimes, the idea of a tragic, heartbroken man braving the sorrows of life can be appealing in some strange way. But rather than suffer in silence and gather his strength, Werther suffers loudly and wants everyone to know it. Rather than gathering strength from his ordeals, he lets them weaken him into a weepy fool. I couldn't like him or feel any sympathy for him.This book would have been utterly atrocious if not for Goethe's skillful brilliance. He is, of course, one of the greatest writers of all time, and even in a book I can't particularly say I liked, he still manages to write beautifully and evocatively. His prose is majestically awe inspiring at times, though it does tend to ramble on a bit and sometimes wander and become pointless. I noticed while looking for quotes to collect here that I found plenty of gorgeous paragraphs, but couldn't seem to spot a single sentence or short phrase that caught my eye. And I'm not writing down a whole paragraph on my bookmark.I wasn't familiar with the story of "Sorrows of Young Werther" at all coming into it, and as I tend to start imagining possible directions a book could go as I'm reading it, it somehow became set in my mind that Werther should become a poet.Goethe's beautiful writing is here attributed to his character, since the book is Werther narrating in the form of letters he is writing. So the man's letters prove he can write, and I can certainly imagine him turning his sorrows into great material. He even loves poetry, and is a fan of Ossian (who is mentioned quite a few times). Just a thought.I couldn't say I liked this book, despite the author.

[pre20cenbooks · Valutazione: 5 su 5 stelle]

Call me slightly vengeful, but I enjoyed a male character on the other side of coin in romance. I generally avoid romance novels, but if a story line is psychologically intriguing, unpredictable for me, I will stick with it to the end. Enjoyed very much, even though the tragic end was spoiled by some reviews I read approx two months ago.

[wizardcarlos · Valutazione: 5 su 5 stelle]

Amazing book about a platonic love that can't be lived by the force of destiny.

[thorold_1 · Valutazione: 4 su 5 stelle]

Werther was one of the first cult novels in European history, arguably the book that put the novel solidly in place as the dominant literary form for the next couple of centuries. It was condemned by the older generation, provoked a new trend in men's fashion, was blamed for a wave of teenage suicides, and generally had all the attributes we now attach to fads like Pokemon Go and self-driving cars...It's probably a book you need to read in your teens. Re-reading it in later life, it's difficult to feel much sympathy for Werther, who insists on falling in love with a young woman who is already engaged to someone else, makes a nuisance of himself by stalking her, and then makes everyone's life even more miserable by killing himself. In the final pages of the novel, he acts like a tenor in the last act of an opera - every time you think he's finished and is about to pull the trigger, he steps back and adds a couple more paragraphs to his already voluminous suicide note. "Enough already!", readers have been wanting to shout for the last two centuries. It's an exasperating and profoundly foolish book in many ways, but it also has some very beautiful passages, so not a complete waste of time, but it's definitely best-read when you're in the mood for the love-lorn.

[dreesie-1 · Valutazione: 1 su 5 stelle]

Wow. I do not even know where to start with this.Yes, there are spoilers. Beware!Werther is, in so many words, a stalker. Mourning the death of a young woman (girlfriend? arranged match?), he falls for an engaged woman, Charlotte. He stays at her house as invited, ingratiates himself to her father (a family friend?) and young siblings. Her mother is deceased, she has no female guidance.She marries. He hangs about. Her husband tolerates him. Makes polite upper-class efforts to get him to go away.She tries to get him to not come around.He comes around anyway.A man in the area kills a rival for a woman's affection. Werther actively defends him.Werther admits that he has considered murdering Charlotte's husband, because he just knows he and Charlotte are perfect for each other. At least he knows this is the wrong course of action.He doesn't, which is the only good thing about this book.I very rarely give a book one star. Especially if I have read the whole thing, I will quit a book if it is that bad. But this is a 1001 books list book, not long, and not difficult. Just infuriating. How can we be feeling for this sort of man, still?! I feel no sympathy for him. I feel sympathy for the murdered man and the poor woman caught in the middle. I feel sympathy for Charlotte, caught in something she doesn't want to be part of. I feel for her husband, Albert, who wants Werther gone but is so trapped by upper class mores that he can effectively do little. But sympathy for Werther? No.

[lesserlady · Valutazione: 5 su 5 stelle]

This book is spectacular. The prose of Goethe is stunning and the depth of emotion is amazing. Do not read this book if you are in a melancholy mood; it will intensify those emotions and may pull you from melancholy to despair. Despite that negativity it is a stellar exploration of human love, affection, friendship and emotion.

[austereadam · Valutazione: 4 su 5 stelle]

Summary:Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther is not so much a tale of love and romance, as it is a chronicle of mental health; specifically, it seems, Goethe is tackling the idea of depression and even (though the term would not have existed then) bi-polar depression. Werther spends his days feeling everything in extremes. When he is happy in something, even something seemingly miniscule, he is overjoyed by it. His “cup overfloweth” and he radiates a sun-like magnitude of warmth and well-being to everyone around him. When he is saddened by something (or someone), he is inconsolable. Each disappointment pushes him nearer and nearer to the edge, of which Werther himself seems to be aware and almost welcoming. The crux of Werther’s Joys and Sorrows is, of course, a woman – a love which cannot be reconciled. Ultimately, each encounter with Werther’s love-interest, Lotte, becomes more detrimental to Werther’s fragile state-of-mind and, with one final visit (one which Lotte had expressly forbidden), Werther reaches his limit. The Good:Though this has been criticized by some, I appreciate the epistolary structure of this novel. I also like that to each of Werther’s letters, a response must be guessed or imagined, because none of the letters Werther received are included. I have a difficult time deciding why I like that we only get access to Werther’s side of the conversation but, I think, it is because – really – no other character has much to do with what is going on inside Werther’s head. In fact, even Lotte, the reason Werther “sacrifices” himself in the end, is only an excuse for the sacrifice and not the actual, root cause of Werther’s sorrow. Also, something I found particularly irksome throughout the first half of the novel, but which ultimately I find pleasing, is the lack of any type of characterization, even for those characters who play a larger role, such as Lotte and her husband Albert. At first, I found it difficult to engage with the novel because of this but, upon reflection, I realize the necessity. After all, this novel is about Werther’s state of mind, so the development of any other character would largely detract from the work’s purpose. In addition to this distraction, one must also realize that Werther is a rather arrogant, self-centered person, who is not very concerned about anybody else (even Lotte, when it comes down to it). Werther is entirely engrossed in his own pleasures, his own happiness, and his own despairs; thus, to focus even for a moment on anyone else’s personality or achievements would decrease the importance that Goethe had been placing on Werther’s own self-involvement. The Bad:The novel closes by introducing a rather omniscient “Narrator,” who is not to be mistaken for Goethe’s narrator (this can also be a bit tricky throughout the novel, when “narrator comments” are footnoted). The Narrator seems to be viewing things from the outside, to be evaluating Werther’s life and letters as a bystander, a researcher; however, he does also seem to have some connection to the characters, some insight into their emotions and actions. Does this make him unreliable? Perhaps. I also find the act of introducing a portion of the book as belonging to the Narrator, and including that Narrator suddenly into the plot-line not just unreliable but also distracting. While having the Narrator there to explain some of Werther’s actions and emotions, to guide the reader through Werther’s final days, rather than have Werther write them in letters per usual (and this may have seemed more appropriate to Werther as, when one is ending one’s life, does one really write a letter about all the actions he is taking, all the steps covered, tasks completed? ) is probably necessary, I found it a harsh break from the rest of the novel and, at the point where I would most liked to have been connecting with the main character, I felt most separated. I did also find the many pages devoted to Ossian’s poem (Werther reading the translation to Lotte) indulgent and unnecessary. Finally, though I understand and partially agree with the under-development of the other characters, I also believe this could have been a rich novel and a gripping story, equally honest to mental torment as this novel, had the plot and characters been more flushed out. Final Verdict: 3.5/5.0It is difficult for me not to give this novel a better rating, because I know I am supposed to love it. Still, I found faults, the main problem being that I could not really connect with the story because the majority of its format was guarded, and the final chapter was such a break from the rest that I felt displaced when I could have begun to surrender. The Sorrows of Young Werther did have its positives, though. I appreciated the subject matter, especially coming from an author in the late-1700s. Goethe seemed truly concerned with mental disturbances and depression; he was taking the disease seriously and not just allowing his character to be played off as “having passions.” Goethe, I think, understood that Werther’s “lost love” Lotte was not the true reason for his final descent and, for the close reader, this point comes across loud and clear. What was Goethe experiencing, I wonder, which allowed him or induced him to write this novel?

[soylentgreen23 · Valutazione: 3 su 5 stelle]

I did not enjoy 'The Sorrows' as much as, I believe, the likes of Byron did. It is a romantic book, but so over-the-top by modern standards that I couldn't really get to grips with it very well. I'm just glad it didn't go on too long, or I might have struggled with a narrator obsessed with himself and with his passionate feelings.

[jwhenderson_1 · Valutazione: 4 su 5 stelle]

A sensitive youth and suffering artist, Werther is one of Goethe's greatest creations. The book is a bit dated but still evokes the power of emotion that captivated young readers when it was first published. This new translation by Burton Pike is excellent.

[proteus147 · Valutazione: 5 su 5 stelle]

I've read this book being aware of the fact that immediately after it was published in 1774 a "Werther" crisis began.Suicidal acts,broken hearts,painting,dressing styles.Everything was pointing toward Goethe's novel.It was very exiting to go through a such harrowing love story written in a masterfully style.Like all other classical texts it made me anxious and eager to find out what the next page had to offer.I remember even crying out loud a couple of times so in my case it was by no means a boring lecture.I'd recommend this book to anyone who thinks loving is easy and "pink".Take a look at love from a other(probably disturbing) point of view.

[theokester · Valutazione: 5 su 5 stelle]

I went into this book knowing virtually nothing about it. I remembered a vague reference to it from reading Frankenstein last year (the monster discovers and reads this book and relates strongly to Werther) but beyond that, and the general "sorrow" of the central character, I hopped in blind.The book is written in epistolary style with each letter being sent from Werther to his friend Wilhelm (a couple of the letters seemed addressed to his brother as well?). We never read any responses written to Werther but can sometimes infer the reactions from Wilhelm. Still, the core of the story is told in Werther's letters themselves.Because of the epistolary style, the narrative is a little 'jumpy' as it skips over time in between letters…sometimes a day or two, sometimes weeks or more. Some of the letters are very lengthy and pour out large segments of plot and action. Others are very short segments of exclamation or emotion. Sometimes even the longer letters don't advance the "plot" so much as provide insight into the thoughts and emotions of Werther.Through the letters, we follow Werther as he moves to the country and encounters a young girl named Lotte. He is immediately transfixed by her and professes undying love. She coyly allows his advances and it seems as though a romance may appear between them. Quickly we learn that Lotte is betrothed to another man named Albert. Werther is taken aback by this, but still persists in being close to Lotte with the hope of perhaps persuading her to love him. When the time comes, Lotte does marry Albert, much to Werther's dismay, but the three of them remain friendly. Werther visits them frequently and seems to hover incessantly over Lotte. He grows more and more jealous of Albert, which creates some tension in the group and Albert begins to leave the room when Werther comes to visit.Werther's obsession with Lotte grows more and more intense as time goes on. He battles with himself over the emotions he feels and writes his friend for advice, although it is very clear that Werther does not feel able to (nor does he desire to) make a break from Lotte and strive to love another. He does finally move away from Lotte and spends some time trying to move on with his life. He becomes more and more discontent in his work and more and more obsessed with returning to her. He finally does move back to live by them again. Albert is more offstandish and put off by Werther's presence. Werther continues to be insistent in his own mind (and sometimes to Lotte or Wilhelm) that there must be a way for her to love him. At the same time, he is emotionally conflicted because he knows she "belongs" to another man and he does not feel it is right to try and take her from him. She eventually tells Werther that he needs to stop coming around so often (he'd been visiting almost daily) but says that he's still a friend and should come by for Christmas as she's made him a gift.*** SPOILER ***Shortly after (the day after) Lotte tells Werther to back off a bit, he finds Lotte alone one night and again professes his love and pushes on her and kisses her passionately. She forces him off and tells him how wrong he's behaving. He's again in turmoil but does leave, though he announces (somewhat veiled) that she won't see him again…ever. He returns home and writes a few more notes in preparation of his suicide. He sends a note to Lotte and Albert to borrow their pistols for "a trip he's taking." Lotte realizes what's going on, but sends the pistols anyway. He shoots himself in the middle of the night and dies the next morning. He's buried without clergy, graveyard or cemetery.*** END SPOILER ***The presentation of love versus obsession is very interesting here and is very well done. You get a very good sense of the turmoil that Werther's going through…of the pain he's feeling as well as the desire he has but cannot fulfill. After reading the book, I looked up some info on it and found that it is actually fairly autobiographical. Apparently Goethe fell in love with his own Lotte who refused him and married another. He was obsessed for some time and found it hard to work or concentrate. There was a quote I read where Goethe indicates that he actually used Werther (and particularly the ending) to save himself [Goethe].The story itself is intriguing though not particularly entrancing. It's really the presentation of the mental anguish of Werther that makes this noteworthy to me. Getting into his head and participating in the psychology of obsessive love was really interesting. A lot of his language was actually very romantic and, had it been spent on someone more receptive, could have been very powerful in enhancing a romantic relationship. Parts of the read were a bit slow, but overall, it was a good read. ****4.5 out of 5 stars

[seriousgrace · Valutazione: 4 su 5 stelle]

To put it simply, Sorrows of Young Werther is about a young, impressionable artist who moves to a new, yet fictional town. He is enamored with his surroundings and shares his new-found joy with his friend, Wilhelm, through enthusiastic, vividly descriptive letters. For the first month the letters contain glorious accounts of the landscape, the sights, the sounds, and the people - everything around him. After that first month though, Werther's entire focus centers on a young woman he met at a party. It's obsession at first sight and he can think of nothing else but to be with her constantly. Unfortunately, Werther's affections are doomed as the object of his affection, Charlotte, is already engaged to be married to a "worthy" gentleman. In an effort to remain near to Charlotte, Werther befriends her husband-to-be. Things becomes complicated (as they also do in this kind of situation). Of course this love triangle cannot last and ultimately ends in tragedy.

[staramber · Valutazione: 4 su 5 stelle]

I find it hard to properly review a book that says ‘classics’ on the cover so I’ll only add that I liked reading about the destructive nature of passionate, one-sided love. It’s a perfect remedy to love can conquer all writing when you can see the pain and violence that often goes hand in hand with love.

[audreyy_18 · Valutazione: 2 su 5 stelle]

This book was OK, therefore not the most memorable and favourite book of mine, but for the sake of general knowledge worth of reading. I was somehow expecting more from Goethe, maybe more drama and action so to speak and this book kinda left me cold. Can't help but give the book only two stars.

[schmerguls · Valutazione: 5 su 5 stelle]

1149 The Sufferings of Young Werther, by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (read 9 Jan 1972) The translator, Harry Steinhauer, admits he has toned down much which'd strike the modern reader as maudlin--so I wonder if I'd prefer an older translation. But this translation sounds great to me. It is a novel in the form of letters, dated May 4, 1771, to Dec. 20, 1772. I was struck by Werther's discovery of Ossian: "What a world it is into which the glorious poet leads me! To wander over the heath, with the tempestuous winds roaring about you, carrying the spirits of your ancestors in steaming mists by the half light of the moon. To hear the dying groans of the spirits issue from their caves in the mountains, amid the roar of the brook in the forest, and the lamentations of the maiden, grieving her life away by the moss-covered, grass-over-grown stones on the tomb of her lover, nobly slain in battle...." To the question 'Why has Werther survived?' the answer is suggested: "it is incomparably superior to all its progeny. Despite its passages of intolerable sentimentality, it is richly endowed in its structure, psychological penetration, its fresh, vigorous imagery and diction..."

[davidhenry_1 · Valutazione: 4 su 5 stelle]

I feel a little phoney writing a review for a classic. But anyway...I first read Werther when I was about seventeen and I have to say that it went completely over my head. Alas, I thought it was dull. I reread it recently and thought it was brilliant!Werther is a love and loss story. The odd thing about it is that the main protagonist (Werther) falls in and out of love with life, whilst the relationship with the love interest, Lotte, remains constant. The novel takes the form of a briefmarken, allowing the reader acquaint his or herself with Werther's ruminations (predominantly ethical and aesthetic), which become increasingly despairing as the novel progresses, and the development of his affections toward Lotte.Werther is a disaffected youth, lofty and sincere - a romantic - who struggles to come to terms with the rather uninspired world of petite-bourgeois aspirations and conventions he encounters throughout the novel. Goethe's depiction of Werther's descent from a loftly-minded pollyanna to a disaffected outsider is subtle, poignant and thought provoking.

[jbd1 · Valutazione: 5 su 5 stelle]

One of those classics that actually deserves the name. A brilliant psychological meditation.

[michael5rimmer · Valutazione: 4 su 5 stelle]

Obsession, elation, depression, murder, rustic scenes, distance-blurred mountains and wind-swept moors, despair and suicide. A compelling psychological novel.