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The Sorrows of Young Werther
Series: Oxford World's Classics
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Format: Paperback / softback
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The Sorrows of Young Werther
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
This classic work will resonate with readers interested in Romantic literature, psychological depth, and the exploration of intense emotional experience through introspective narrative.
Drawing on his own unhappy experiences, Goethe's account of Werther's passionate love for Lotte, who is promised to another, is one of the first great Romantic tragic novels. David Constantine's new translation captures the novel's lyric intensity, and is accompanied by an introduction and notes that illuminate Goethe's achievement.
Translated by the award-winning author David Constantine, this new edition captures the novel's lyric clarity and powerful immediacy
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
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Description
I have so much and my feeling for her devours everything, I have so much and without her everything is nothing.
The Sorrows of Young Werther propelled Goethe to instant fame when it first appeared in 1774. Goethe drew on his own unhappy experiences to tell the story of Werther, a young man tormented by his love for Lotte, a tender-hearted girl who is promised to someone else. Overwhelmed by his feelings, Werther begins to see only one way to escape from his anguish.
Goethe's story of a sensitive young artist alienated from society channelled the Romantic sensibility of the day and led to a wave of imitations. Werther's searching introspection and the passionate intensity with which he bares his soul have an immediacy that is all the more powerful for being expressed in letters; charting the course of his emotions, they give added drama to the unfolding account.
David Constantine's new translation captures the novel's lyric clarity, and his introduction and notes illuminate Goethe's achievement.
ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Kristen Treen, The Observer, praises the new translation for its skill in highlighting the novella's themes of self-imprisonment, revealing Goethe's profound personal expression within the text.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780199583027
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 10 May 2012
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Contributors:
- Translated by David Constantine
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 10.0mm
Width: 127.0mm
Height: 196.0mm
Weight: 126g
Pages: 160
About the Author
David Constantine is a poet, novelist, and short-story writer who taught German language and literature at Durham and then Queen's College, Oxford. His most recent poetry collection is Nine Fathoms Deep (2009), and his most recent volulme of short stories, The Shieling (2009). He has translated Hรถlderlin, Goethe, Kleist, and Brecht: Goethe's Faust, Part 1 and Part 2 for Penguin and Elective Affinities for Oxford World's Classics. In 2010 he won the BBC National Short Story Award. With his wife Helen he edits Modern Poetry in Translation.
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