After reading Goethe and then discussing Romanticism in class it's easy to discover the elements of Romanticism in the novel. There are many instances where it is apparent this was written in the romanticisim era. Dr. Matthews said Romanticism at it's heart is about conflict and this novel has plenty of conflict. Young Werther is in love with Lotte, who is already bethrothed to someone else whom she loves, yet he continues to pursue her even after she is married. This of course creates conflict between Werther and Lotte, Lotte and Albert as well as Albert and Lotte. In the end of the novel, Lotte has a conflict with herself. She isn't sure what to do after Werther finally puts his emotions into action and kisses her. She knows if she does fully reject him and tell him they can't see each other anymore that he will be so distraught and possibly kill himself. On the other hand, if she doesn't do this her marriage could be in jeopardy.
This novel is vastly different than Life is a Dream and Candide, since these two were focused more on philosophy and the meaning of life. Goethe doesn't attempt to answer philosophical questions, instead it addresses love and emotions (like all works written in the Romanticism era). Throughout the novel Werther is constantly discussing his emotions towards Lotte, her siblings, Albert, William- the infamous receiver of the letters and any other possible thing. It seems he has feelings about everything.
Another key component of Romanticism literature is the presence of nature. This is very prevalent in Goethe because he is constantly discussing the garden, the river, the hills and the outdoors. He talks about their impact on his emotions and what emotions they invoke in him. In Goethe, young Wether truly experiences nature with his body and his mind (another important aspect of Romanticism literature).
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I agree that Goethe presents strong elements of Romanticism in The Sorrows of Young Werther, but I think that there are also philosophical components in this piece. In my opinion, the philosophical questions in Life is a Dream and Candide are very blatant while in Goethe's work you must look at the piece as a whole and extract individual phrases. Voltaire's satirical and mocking style clearly points out the flaws in the ideas of certain philosophers (like Leibniz). Calderon's whole play revisits the uncertainty of reality through the plot as well as through dialogue. With Goethe, the philosophical question of suicide is apparent in the story because of the tragic ending, however it is overshadowed with emotions and descriptions of nature.
ReplyDeleteSome less blatant philosophical viewpoints can be seen when Werther mentions that "all human beings were not created equal" (26), when he agrees with the "illusion that life is but a dream" (28), and when he asserts that "rules and regulations ruin our true appreciation of nature and our powers to express it" (i.e. love, art, genius)(30-31). Of course, these simple statements seem like mere opinions, but I believe opinions such as these can be the basis of philosophical arguments.
One example of a more in-depth philosophical discussion occurs when Werther visits the vicar at the rectory. Werther explains that if individuals are willing to accept the good things that occur daily then they would have strength to endure the bad (47). Simply, it seems that this "ill humor" occurs at the fault of the individual. Werther continues by blaming the ill-humored individual for causing not only his/her own unhappiness but that of others around him/her (48). This occurrence is an obvious philosophical debate filled with the counterarguments of the vicar and various examples. Similarly, Werther debates the topic of suicide with Albert (59-61). Therefore, Sorrows of Young Werther is brimming with numerous philosophical questions; one must merely look beyond the characteristics of Romanticism.