Beautifully written portrait of an idiot

books:


	• The Sorrows of Young Werther (Modern Library Classics) Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe Modern Library, 2005 - 176 pages average customer review:based on 65 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Sad and anger inducing

This is the only work by Goethe I have yet read. While the story was very interesting and you can't help but feel for Werther I found myself angry at him in the end. Doing what he did and then orchestrating it such that others have to live the rest of their life feeling guilty for it (I am trying not to give away too much here) is horrible. He fell in love with someone that wasn't "available" and then he spirals downward and ultimately blames the other person for their unavailability. Like all good works of literature the story doesn't necessarily tell you how to feel. It doesn't raise Werther up as either a hero or a villain (though I get wafts of the former). I walked away feeling like he was a villain, but enjoyed the story nonetheless and would recommend it to anyone who likes well written literature.

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Masterpiece

A masterpiece of Teenage Angst. If you are young, read this to educate yourself at how complicated your emotions really are. Much in the way Russian novelists create their characters, Goethe does the same, but with German flair.

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Review for Sorrows of a Young Werther

For any one who does not know the extremes of emotion and death this book is excellent. I personally found it very helpful and at times depressing to read especially at the end. But its message is equally as powerful to read on a rainy day.

Not his best ...

This is one of Goethe's earlier works, and in comparison with his other achievements, such as Faust or Elective Affinities, this book is not as engaging or well written. Some of Werther's lack comes from the fact that it is confessional literature, and is told by Werther--not Goethe. However, some of its shortcomings can be attributed to Goethe's own immaturity as a writer at the time. That being said, Werther is still a brilliantly written piece of literature that is not only thought-provoking, but beautiful as well, as exquisite art often is.

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Beautifully written portrait of an idiot

I don't think I've been this annoyed by a main character since "The Catcher in the Rye." Werther is probably one of the most irritating, whiney characters in the history of literature. I never once felt an ounce of pity for this obsessive, creepy guy, and I can understand completely why the girl pushes him away. A very unattractive personality, and I don't know what was going on at the time to make readers swoon for his "sorrows." I kept waiting for him to finally shoot himself, and when he did my feeling was, "thank god." That said, it is superbly written, and it does belong in any list of classic books. Even though the writing is beautiful, I still could not care about Werther, and I hope that today's readers aren't inspired to glory in self-pity the way Werther does.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

A major work of German romanticism in a translation that is acknowledged as the definitive English language version. The Vintage Classics edition also includes NOVELLA, Goethe's poetic vision of an idyllic pastoral society.

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