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J. W. Goethe
The classic works of literature contained in each of these volumes represent each author's best and most famous writings. A wonderful introduction to world literature, this finely crafted and affordable series offers the works of these world-renowned authors to a wider audience.
Includes Faust , Sorrows of Young Werther , and Herman and Dorothy .
Includes Faust , Sorrows of Young Werther , and Herman and Dorothy .
400 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1887
13 people want to read
About the author
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
13.3k books6,928 followersA master of poetry, drama, and the novel, German writer and scientist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe spent 50 years on his two-part dramatic poem
Faust
, published in 1808 and 1832, also conducted scientific research in various fields, notably botany, and held several governmental positions.
George Eliot called him "Germany's greatest man of letters... and the last true polymath to walk the earth." Works span the fields of literature, theology, and humanism.
People laud this magnum opus as one of the peaks of world literature. Other well-known literary works include his numerous poems, the Bildungsroman Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and the epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther .
With this key figure of German literature, the movement of Weimar classicism in the late 18th and early 19th centuries coincided with Enlightenment, sentimentality (Empfindsamkeit), Sturm und Drang, and Romanticism. The author of the scientific text Theory of Colours , he influenced Darwin with his focus on plant morphology. He also long served as the privy councilor ("Geheimrat") of the duchy of Weimar.
Goethe took great interest in the literatures of England, France, Italy, classical Greece, Persia, and Arabia and originated the concept of Weltliteratur ("world literature"). Despite his major, virtually immeasurable influence on German philosophy especially on the generation of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling, he expressly and decidedly refrained from practicing philosophy in the rarefied sense.
Influence spread across Europe, and for the next century, his works inspired much music, drama, poetry and philosophy. Many persons consider Goethe the most important writer in the German language and one of the most important thinkers in western culture as well. Early in his career, however, he wondered about painting, perhaps his true vocation; late in his life, he expressed the expectation that people ultimately would remember his work in optics.
George Eliot called him "Germany's greatest man of letters... and the last true polymath to walk the earth." Works span the fields of literature, theology, and humanism.
People laud this magnum opus as one of the peaks of world literature. Other well-known literary works include his numerous poems, the Bildungsroman Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and the epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther .
With this key figure of German literature, the movement of Weimar classicism in the late 18th and early 19th centuries coincided with Enlightenment, sentimentality (Empfindsamkeit), Sturm und Drang, and Romanticism. The author of the scientific text Theory of Colours , he influenced Darwin with his focus on plant morphology. He also long served as the privy councilor ("Geheimrat") of the duchy of Weimar.
Goethe took great interest in the literatures of England, France, Italy, classical Greece, Persia, and Arabia and originated the concept of Weltliteratur ("world literature"). Despite his major, virtually immeasurable influence on German philosophy especially on the generation of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling, he expressly and decidedly refrained from practicing philosophy in the rarefied sense.
Influence spread across Europe, and for the next century, his works inspired much music, drama, poetry and philosophy. Many persons consider Goethe the most important writer in the German language and one of the most important thinkers in western culture as well. Early in his career, however, he wondered about painting, perhaps his true vocation; late in his life, he expressed the expectation that people ultimately would remember his work in optics.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 22, 2025
I don't remember exactly when I read this book, but it was certainly this exact edition because I looked it up at my old college catalogue and recognized the cover. I am pretty certain this is the correct edition because I remember reading the book translated to Spanish and all the other remaining editions on campus are kindles. Yes, I am that old. PDFs didn't exist yet when I was a college student.
To be honest, I read the book so long ago that I can't recall everything about it. I usually try to read books in their original language when they are written in English. On this occasion, I forcibly had to read it in Spanish because the library didn't offer any other editions. I recall the translation had some clarity issues which aunated with the prose's more poetic focus made it a bit hard to follow.
The story seemed interesting although it never left me a sufficiently strong impression to truly either loved or hated it.
Awarding this book 3.5 stars because the recognition name novelty of the novel was superior to the actually story to me.
To be honest, I read the book so long ago that I can't recall everything about it. I usually try to read books in their original language when they are written in English. On this occasion, I forcibly had to read it in Spanish because the library didn't offer any other editions. I recall the translation had some clarity issues which aunated with the prose's more poetic focus made it a bit hard to follow.
The story seemed interesting although it never left me a sufficiently strong impression to truly either loved or hated it.
Awarding this book 3.5 stars because the recognition name novelty of the novel was superior to the actually story to me.
October 16, 2023
Se me olvidó que esta app existía y no documenté cuando terminé el libro.
Creo que, fácilmente, es lo más divertido (y, a la vez, un poco conflictivo) que he leído en un buen tiempo. Sin embargo, sigue siendo una lectura complicada.
En general, la pasé muy bien leyendo esta selección. 5/5
Creo que, fácilmente, es lo más divertido (y, a la vez, un poco conflictivo) que he leído en un buen tiempo. Sin embargo, sigue siendo una lectura complicada.
En general, la pasé muy bien leyendo esta selección. 5/5
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews