Project 52- week 11

Sunday, March 16, 2014

I haven't been posting as much this week, I've been away a lot and been ill the whole weekend- not so much fun and yes I'm still going to work tomorrow, it's not bad enough to take call in sick.

This week I'm reading The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. More accurately, I'm rereading it, I had to read it for literature classes but that seems to be have been ages ago and I don't remember much about it except that it definitely struck a nerve with me at that time unlike other books that we were assigned to read. 

On its publication in 1774, The Sorrows of Young Werther gained an instant cult following. European readers were captivated by the rapturous ruminations of Werther, Goethe's typically Romantic protagonist whose extreme passion leads to self-destruction. Public fascination gave rise to a fanatical copycat culture, in which men dressed in Werther's signature outfit, women wore "Eau de Werther", and at least one person committed suicide with a copy of Young Werther in her pocket. The sensational novella united people in self-obsession and a desire for a sublime sense of individuality. 
 source: Guardian

It still relevant,after over 200 years, but be warned, it's not for recently broken hearted.

Available on Gutenberg

You Might Also Like

0 comments