Man of Fifty

by Wolfgang von Goethe

Arriving at the family manor, the Major scarcely recognizes his tall, elegant niece as she rushes out to greet him. Surprise soon turns to satisfaction as he learns that she has confessed to being in love with him—and he a 50-year-old man! Instantly turning his attention to his appearance, he determines to transform himself into a suitable lover for a young girl. But he must also make his confession to his son, for whom his niece was originally promised. Rather conveniently, however, his son has also succumbed to love—and with an older woman. All would seem to be well—until the new-look Major meets his son’s paramour. Author of Faust and The Sorrows of Young Werther, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is regarded as the founder of modern German literature.

Genres: 19th Century, Fiction, Short Stories, Classics, German Literature, Germany, Literature

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1808

Reviews

[Το Άθχημο γατί του θενιόρ Γκουαναμίρου · Rating 3 out of 5]

Από όσο διάβασα στην εισαγωγή της παρούσας έκδοσης αυτή η νουβέλα γράφτηκε ως ανεξάρτητο έργο στα 1807, το οποίο εντάχθηκε αργότερα στο δεύτερο μέρος του μυθιστορήματος με τίτλο Wilhelm Meister (πρώτος τόμος: Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre - Τα χρόνια της μαθητείας του Βίλχελμ Μάιστερ εκδ. 1796, δεύτερος τόμος: Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre - Τα χρόνια της πρακτικής εξάσκησης του Βίλχελμ Μάιστερ, εκδ. 1821).

Μου έφερε στο νου κάποια πράγματα που είχα προσέξει κατά την ανάγνωση του πρώτου τόμου από τις "Συνομιλίες με τον Γκαίτε" του Eckermann, και, πάνω σε αυτό βασιζόμενη, υποθέτω πως πρόκειται για μια αφήγηση όπου κρύβει πολλά στοιχεία αυτοβιογραφικά, προφανώς οι γεροντοέρωτες ήταν μια αγαπημένη συνήθεια του Goethe.

Ο συγκεκριμένος συγγραφέας πάσχει, νομίζω από ένα είδος ναρκισσισμού που θα ήταν εξαιρετικά ενοχλητικός, αν δεν επρόκειτο για έναν ιδιαίτερα αξιαγάπητο, ενδιαφέροντα, πολυπράγμονα, ευγενικό, καλόψυχο και ευαίσθητο άνθρωπο που καταπιέζει όλες τις σκοτεινές του παρορμήσεις πίσω από ένα βαρύ παραπέτασμα αξιοπρέπειας και αβρότητας. Το χιούμορ είναι λεπτό, τα αισθήματα φίνα, οι χαρακτήρες συμπαθείς, το περιβάλλον αρμονικό, οι περιστάσεις ατυχείς, το τέλος καλό.

Οι ήρωες μπορούν να παραπατούν και να σκοντάφτουν αρκεί να μην χαλάει η τσάκιση στο παντελόνι.

Διάβασα σε ένα άρθρο πως ο Thomas Mann από αυτήν την ιστορία εμπνεύστηκε τον "Θάνατο στη Βενετία" και μπορώ να κατανοήσω πώς αυτό θα μπορούσε να ισχύει (ως μια μακράν ωραιότερη, βαθύτερη και σκοτεινότερη εκδοχή).
Πηγή: https://www.theguardian.com/books/200...

Η συγκεκριμένη έκδοση χρειάζεται περισσότερη επιμέλεια γιατί έχει κάμποσα τυπογραφικά λάθη και κάποιες ασυνταξίες (πχ "ειδοδήματα" σελ 13, "Οι μοναδικότητα" σελ. 64) αλλά αποτελεί μια συμπαθητική και ενδιαφέρουσα προσπάθεια στο σύνολό της.

Για να καταλάβω καλύτερα τον Goethe πρέπει να διαβάσω περισσότερο τον Goethe.

Οπότε επιφυλάσσομαι.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Νεαρή δεσποινίς εκφράζει τα ερωτικά της συναισθήματα προς ώριμο κύριο, ετών 50 και αυτός χάνει τη γη κάτω από τα πόδια του και αρχίζει να παλιμπαιδίζει με κρέμες και θεραπείες....

Εντάξει, αν γραφόταν στη σύγχρονη εποχή θα ήταν πολύ διασκεδαστικό, να τονίσουμε όμως ότι ο συγκεκριμένος κυριούλης είναι αρκετά εγκρατής και λογικός, οπότε η κατάσταση δεν φτάνει στα άκρα...

Ενδιαφέρον ανάγνωσμα που δίνει χαρακτηριστικά της Γερμανίας του 19ου αιώνα.. εγώ προχωράω άμεσα στο Φάουστ πάντως!

[Ruby · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Man of Fifty is the story of a man who somehow, without explanation, manages to win the affections of his niece, who was to be married to his son. Luckily it was a short read, although not entirely quick, due to the fact that I wanted to sleep every time I read another page. I was labouring under the impression that it was to be a tale similar to that of Faust, in that it would feature a man driven slightly mad by his desire for more, the desire in this instance being to appear more youthful, but nothing seemed to go far enough to allow the story to have an impact. His vanity consisted in maybe one or two pages of description of ointments and practices to reduce his visible age, which soon seemed to be forgotten in order to explore uninteresting family dynamics which I just didn't care for. I enjoyed the fact that his desire for youthful looks stemmed entirely from jealousy of another man's looks rather than a physical pressure or any sort of pressure from society, as the naive niece desires the Major most likely due to his older age and status as a hero, which varies greatly from how we perceive women and their desire to become ageless. Despite the disappointment of this book, I still desire to read more Goethe, as Faust part one moved me to tears (and not with boredom that time).

[Olivia]

I won't rate this as it's very difficult to rate something that was written in such a different time in a format that is meant to be allegorical and symbolic. This was interesting and reasonably engaging but probably needs to be read alongside the Wilhlem Meister books in which the story is alluded to.

[Lukas Rupp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literaturkanon von Marcel Reich-Ranicki
82/180

[Gary Patella · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 and a half stars:

For a writer that receives as much praise as Goethe, this book was pretty superficial. The plot of an older man trying to woo younger women has been seen in numerous works over the years (Balzac's Cousin Bette comes to mind). But this story never goes anywhere. It is not a torturous read, or a bad book. I can't say many negative things about it. But on the other hand, I can't say many positive things about it. If you have nothing else to read, then this will be OK. But I would steer clear and search for something with a bit more substance.

[Φερειπείν · Rating 4 out of 5]

Μεγαλύτεροι, ίσοι ή μικρότεροι από 50 μη σας σκιάζει φοβέρα καμιά! Άλλωστε όπως λέει και ο Ζαμπέτας "ο πενηντάρης είναι ένας νέος της εποχής" κι αφού το λέει ο Ζαμπέτας εγώ δεν έγω λόγο να διαφωνίσω, πόσο μάλλον όταν στο παιχνίδι μπαίνει και κ Γκαίτε!!

Ο πενηντάρης. Γιόχαν Βόλφγκανγκ Φον Γκαίτε.
📖📖📖
Η "ακόρεστη ματαιοδοξία" και η ελαφρότητα της ανευθυνότητας βρίσκονται στο κέντρο της διήγησης. Η γλώσσα στομφώδης και αναλυτική στις αισθηματικές περιγραφές, με δόσεις ειρωνικής ευδιαθεσίας περιβάλλει με χιούμορ και εκθέτει με εξοραϊσμένη ειλικρίνεια τους χαρακτήρες και την ευμετάβλητη φυσιογνωμία της ηθικής τους. Τα λογοτεχνικά τερτίπια του Γκαίτε συνταιριάζουν με την περιπαιχτική διάθεση της πλοκής, και με άμεσες απευθύνεις στο αναγνωστικό κοινό ζητά τη συμμετοχή και την ευγενική τους συμπαράσταση για να προσπελάσουν από κοινού τους αφηγηματικούς σκόπελους, ανοίγοντας έτσι μια ιδιότυπη και ενδιαφέρουσα επικοινωνιακή γέφυρα με τον αναγνώστη.
"Insatiable vanity" and the lightness of irresponsibility are at the center of the narrative. The language is blunt and detailed in the emotional descriptions, with doses of ironic humor surrounds it with humor and exposes the characters and the changeable physiognomy of their morals with a glorified honesty.
Goethe's literary quirks match the playful mood of the plot, and with direct addresses to the readers he asks for their participation and kind support to jointly access the narrative horizons, thus opening an idiosyncratic and interesting communication bridge with the them.

[Josh Bauder · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s tough to stand in judgment of this work: so short, so unhurried, so unresolved, so foreign even in translation. My immediate reaction is frustration at the absence of climax and at the abrupt ending, along with a personal dislike of moralistic asides directed toward the reader (of which there are many) and a personal wish for more dialogue (of which there is very little).

Instead of pursuing what has become the standard model of conflict-crisis-resolution, this novella hovers around a handful of themes: the dismay of aging; intergenerational and quasi-incestuous love; the place of poetry in conveying passion; and the turning of large decisions on small coincidences.

These themes are instantiated by specific events and objects in the story: the actor’s gift of cosmetics to his aging friend; the family tree hanging publicly in the hall; the frozen lake on which erstwhile ice-skaters fall in love; and the broken tooth which is the final embarrassment for the major. These events together suggest that the major’s careful plans are breaking apart, but whether they finally do (and how) remains unknown. Does the niece marry the son? Does the major end up with the widow? What happens to the property? The novella seems to end ten pages too soon.

[maira · Rating 2 out of 5]

not a particularly moving story about a 50 year old man who unexpectedly won the affections of his young niece- whom was to be wedded to his son- and thus his vanity awoke. amidst contrasting feelings of flattery and shame, he learns that his son has fallen for an older widower who surrounds herself with an extensive male circle- she is even compared with penelope. unlike penelope however, this woman actively seeks out the company of these men to feed her own vanity & raise her drooping self-esteem. the story gets more complicated when the young son faces the widower's rejection and catches feelings for his cousin- whom he was originally to be wedded with.

the story's main focus is aging, vanity and the feelings surrounding it, feelings about one's current situation (mainly appearance) but also thoughts and reflections upon the past glory days. as far as these age gap relationships go, the author states that even though the winter flower may seem appealing in the winter, it grows pale and withered in comparison to the flower blooming in spring.

[Mary Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love old books and this one was delightful. It is funny and characteristic of the times with politeness and verbage (aka translation from German). The Major - a widower, is told by his sister that her daughter is infatuated with him. That would be fine if the young lady were available but she is promised to the sister's son. The major thinks he can out maneuver the son by assisting him with his infatuation - another widow. When the son's overtures meet with rebuke he returns home in a state of despair - big despair that required the efforts of a doctor to bleed him and take bed-rest for an extended period of time. In the meantime, the major is off on family business and isn't attentive to his niece so, she become enamored with her cousin - the one who is disparing. Slowly they discover that they are in love whereupon the major comes home from his many travels and discovers his loss. However, the widow who disparages the young man shows up at the major's house and yet another romance blooms. It is like ring-around-the rosy. Quite humorous - very Tom Jones'ee

[Züleyha Abdülbakioğlu · Rating 3 out of 5]

“İçsel hakikatten dış gerçekliğe geçiş, aradaki karşıtlık yüzünden daima acılıdır.”

[Nadja · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, fun and somehow emotional read at times. It didn’t draw me in completely, but I quite liked it.

[Dimitris Patriarcheas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Πολλά τα κλισέ, εύθυμο το στυλ και γοργή η ροή του διηγήματος, που αφορά στον παλιμπαιδισμό ενός 50νταρη. Ένα εύπεπτο κατά τα αλλά έργο, που καταλήγει σε happy end με διδακτικό αποτύπωμα.

[Timo · Rating 2 out of 5]

1,91

[finki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ich judge hart

[Elena]

Πρώτη επαφή με τον Γκαίτε, με ένα σύντομο ανάγνωσμα. Προφανώς το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο μόνο ως έναυσμα μπορεί να είναι για την συνέχιση της ανάγνωσης περισσότερων βιβλίων γραμμένων από τον Γκαίτε. Η πλοκή δεν έχει κάποια πρωτοτυπία να φέρει: ένα ερωτικό γαϊτανάκι τριών προσώπων, χωρίς ιδιαίτερη εμβάθυνση στα πρόσωπα. Είναι από τα βιβλία που διαβάζεις μέσα σε ένα απόγευμα για να καλύψεις ευχάριστά ένα κενό στο χρόνο σου.

[S'hi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This slim volume strikes me more as a draft, possibly even for a screenplay, than as a novel in its own right. Perhaps that has more to do with changing perceptions and uses for the novel over time. However the one great tenet so many writing teachers espouse is “show don’t tell” and this is little adhered to here.
As part of Goethe’s other works and developments of them in relation to each other, the continual working on pieces such as this one over many years, shows how Goethe was working through his own relationships and perspectives of life as he developed the mirror of it through the work as well. In this way they are more like a living journal than either a diary or an artwork in themselves.
This conception of Goethe’s writing fits with his studies of the metamorphosis of plants. The tendency to develop a particular element within a story, or pull back on it, whether to highlight the inner workings of one character or another, and how to consider the various forces working upon them, all come into play in the multiple streams which coexist even in such a slim volume.
Perhaps I would be more qualified to comment further if I knew more of German literature in the original. However, my feeling is that the tendency of Germans for precision that is so recognised in their technological developments, is also what is most visible in the writing of this particular piece. It aligns with the style of Sigmund Freud who espoused quite complete and detailed concepts in a similar sparse or concise way.
Through this approach it becomes necessary to consider the stream of works within which it sits rather than totally relying upon the work in itself. Yet it does also stand as a story in its own right.
What I find most puzzling though is the title focussing on the elder male character, while the summing up of the operating movement of the story is through the elder female character. The brief encapsulation of all her vision and conversations in various forms throughout the whole story seem to make her a more important player in the outcomes at the end. It is almost as if Goethe pulled himself up from writing when he realised this. Perhaps it is also why he married his long-time companion after so many years, rather than the younger distractions he had around him as he grew older. It is a kind of recognition of what he does not have within himself, reflected back to him from others admiringly, that gives him the final choice to be more by being with someone other than himself.
I may have more to add when I read the related titles.

[Maria Ch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Το βιβλίο πραγματεύεται την ιστορία ενός 50 χρονου Ταγματάρχη που αποφασίζει να παντρευτει την κατά πολύ νεότερη ανιψιά του και του γιου του Φλάβιο που ερωτεύεται μία χήρα. Η εμφάνιση ενός παλιού φίλου του πρώτου που παρότι μεγαλύτερος σε ηλικία φαίνεται πολύ μικρότερος, βάζει τον Ταγματάρχη σε σκέψεις πως να διατηρήσει και να περιποιηθεί καλύτερα το σώμα και το πνεύμα του. Ο αφηγητής ενισχύει την ιδέα ότι η γοητεία πηγάζει από τη ματαιοδοξία με μέτρο και προσήκοντα τρόπο. Ενδιαφέρουσα ανάγνωση, κυρίως λόγω της περίτεχνης γραφής του Γκαίτε , μιας ιστορίας και ενός κειμένου που σε τοποθετεί χρονικά και τοπικά στην περίοδο που έχει γραφτεί όσον αφορά την μόδα, τις ασχολίες των ανθρώπων, τις κοινωνικές περιτύξεις , τις ιδέες αλλά και τις φυλετικές και ταξικές επιβολές. Ο συγγραφέας, έχει τον πλήρη έλεγχο στην αφήγηση και σε σημεία επιλέγει να επεκταθεί και σε παρατήρηση πέρ από την αφήγηση των γεγονότων, χωρίς να επιτρέπει στον αναγνώστη να ξεχάσει ότι αφηγείτε την ιστορία των συγκεκριμένων χαρακτήρων. Η μόνη προσωπική μου παρατήρηση, είναι ότι μέχρι το τέλος της ιστορίας, δεν υπάρχει καμία συσχέτιση του τίτλου του βιβλίου με το περιεχόμενο.

[Erma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an unusual book, coming to us in translation and from a place and time separated from ours by 200 years of unimaginable history. And yet, the word pictures that Goethe draws, whether of the 50 year old major consulting an actor-friend about use of cosmetic treatments to maintain his youth, or of the moon rising over the wide expanse of frozen flooded fields upon which a young couple ice skate with arms entwined, still have power. The foreword by A. S. Byatt, with the introduction by Andrew Piper, the translator, added much to my being able to appreciate this novella. As he notes, "Instead of the titanic Goethe, then, here we have one interested in pieces and how they may, or may not, fit together. We have one interested in the lost and found, the incompletion and itineraries, at the heart of translation. We have one, in short, who can nourish our emerging dreams of a world literature...Writing, Goethe wants us to understand, is just such a chance constellation, not a pantheon of timeless and immobile monuments, but a fortunate reply to a conversation that we will only ever hear in parts."
I look forward to discovering more of Goethe's writings in the future.

[H.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather quick read - very reminiscent of some movies I've seen on TCM!

[John Pistelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read fall 2005.

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

κακή μετάφραση, εμφανέστατη η έλλειψη επιμέλειας

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the best I've read this year, not the worst. Not bad for a first attempt at von Göthe.

[Wilbur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

wrote a term paper on this, the theme of incest and weird relationships between the characters was kind of interesting, otherwise hated it tbh