Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer and polymath back in the 1800s. Goethe is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. Although he was alive so long ago, the ideas he put out there are still pertinent to the modern world. Goethe’s quote is a universal truth and his philosophy is even proven. Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance

“Faust” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust believes he will find meaning in experiences that evoke profound emotion and help him to better understand the human condition. After some discussion of forming an agreement, in which Mephistopheles becomes Faust’s slave, Faust tells Mephistopheles that he is not searching for mere happiness, but that he “devote[s] [him]self to all excess” (4). This concerns what Faust truly feels there will be meaning in; the chance to feel everything deeply. Goethe writes

opinion is the inability to find meaning in the world and to become a cog in the machine of our society, conforming to what is expected from us based off of societal norms. This idea can best be highlighted through Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust, which is illustrated through the main character’s alienation based on their inability to find meaning in their lives. Alienation in Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler is based particularly on personal alienation highlighted through the main

into nature which is the strongest force encouraging one to invoke their inner emotions without any logical explanation or fear. This allows one to remain free. The following essay will discuss the works of The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and The Prelude by William Wordsworth. When finding an individual’s identity on the romantic self reason plays a part when it comes societal hierarchal structures. Therefore, classifying actions as right or wrong within societal constraints

n early German influence came from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, whose 1774 novel The Sorrows of Young Werther had young men throughout Europe emulating its protagonist, a young artist with a very sensitive and passionate temperament. At that time Germany was a multitude of small separate states, and Goethe's works would have a seminal influence in developing a unifying sense of nationalism. Another philosophic influence came from the German idealism of Johann Gottlieb Fichte and Friedrich Schelling

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Human nature is perhaps one of the most familiar and simultaneously baffling things known to man. A writer who dared to explore the complications of humanity and, even more admirably, managed to make some sense of them was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. His literary talent and combination of romantic and classical writings brought him fame and success during his lifetime. After having written The Sorrows of Young Werther he was even noticed by the Duke of Weimar and made

existence. The small flame of the Enlightenment was ignited into a raging fire of oppressed passion generated through the power individualistic thinking. Rather than focusing on a unified peace, revolutionaries, such as Thomas Paine, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann von Goethe and Jane Austen, of the late 18th and 19th century emphasized the passion of self-expression within the individual. Thomas Paine exemplifies the passionate, individualistic expression of the late 18th and early 19th century in

revolution. The emphasis on individualism and passionate expression of the self during the late 18th and early 19th century is also exemplified in the musical realm through the revolutionary work of one of the most highly influential musicians, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. At the time of Mozart’s birth, the most popular and conventional music was created in the style of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. After the discovery of Mozart’s prodigal musical genius and honing his skill through several positions

There is an ongoing debate in literary circles whether Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s works should be considered German Classical or European Romanticism. Complicating matters are statements by Goethe such as his infamous statement “The Classical I call healthy and the Romantic sick . . . Most of the new poetry is not Romantic because it is new, but it is because it is weak, sickly, and ill, and the old is not Classical because it is old, but because it is strong, fresh, cheerful, and healthy.” (Conversations

creature in Frankenstein, and it could be argued that it causes the creature’s suicide along with the many other suicides the book is accused of causing. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the creature reads The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. This novel influences the creature’s thinking in both positive and negative ways. The two Gothic novels actually show a variety of similarities. In The Sorrows of Young Werther, the protagonist, Werther, reads The Odyssey and unconsciously