Preface

CHAPTER I

EARLY YEARS IN FRANKFORT

1749—1765

	PAGE
GOETHE'S BIRTHPLACE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON HIM	1
PERIOD OF HIS BIRTH	4
HIS FATHER	6
HIS MOTHER	8
HIS SISTER	10
FAMILY FRIENDS	11
HIS EDUCATION	12
RELIGIOUS INFLUENCES	14
THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR	18
FRENCH OCCUPATION OF FRANKFORT	19
GOETHE'S FIRST LOVE	21
DESTINED FOR THE STUDY OF LAW	23
THE BOY THE FATHER OF THE MAN	25
HIS CHARACTER AND EARLY TASTES	27

CHAPTER II

STUDENT IN LEIPZIG

OCTOBER, 1765—SEPTEMBER, 1768

GOES TO LEIPZIG	29
HIS WILD LIFE THERE	29
SOCIETY OF LEIPZIG	31
HIS IRREGULAR STUDIES	33
ADOPTS LEIPZIG FASHIONS	35
FEMININE INFLUENCES	36
DANDYISM	37
FALLS IN LOVE WITH KÄTHCHEN SCHÖNKOPF	38
FRIENDSHIP WITH BEHRISCH	39
HIS RELATIONS TO KÄTHCHEN	40
MISCELLANEOUS INTERESTS	44
FRIENDSHIP WITH OESER	46
STATE OF GERMAN LITERATURE	48
POEMS OF THE PERIOD	49
DIE LAUNE DES VERLIEBTEN	51
DIE MITSCHULDIGEN	52
INSPIRATION	54

CHAPTER III

AT HOME IN FRANKFORT

SEPTEMBER, 1768—APRIL, 1770

RETURNS TO FRANKFORT	57
HIS BROKEN HEALTH	58
RELATIONS TO HIS FATHER	58
HIS SISTER	60
INTEREST IN RELIGION	61
FRIENDSHIP WITH FRÄULEIN VON KLETTENBERG	62
A MYSTERIOUS MEDICINE	63
EVOLVES A RELIGIOUS CREED	65
INFLUENCE OF FRÄULEIN VON KLETTENBERG	66
INTEREST IN LITERATURE AND ART	67
LESSING AND WIELAND	70
RIPENING POWERS	71

CHAPTER IV

GOETHE IN STRASSBURG

APRIL, 1770—AUGUST, 1771

SETTLEMENT IN STRASSBURG	75
INFLUENCES OF STRASSBURG	75
CHANGE IN HIS RELIGIOUS FEELINGS	76
MANNER OF LIFE IN STRASSBURG	78
FRIENDSHIP WITH DR. SALZMANN	79
RELATIONS TO JUNG STILLING	83
COMES UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF HERDER	84
YOUNG'S CONJECTURES ON ORIGINAL COMPOSITION	90
ITS INFLUENCE ON GOETHE'S GENIUS	93
FRIEDERIKE BRION	95
HIS RELATIONS TO HER	96
PARTING FROM HER	101
MISCELLANEOUS STUDIES	102
SELF-DISCIPLINE	103
POEMS ADDRESSED TO FRIEDERIKE	105

CHAPTER V

FRANKFORT—GÖTZ VON BERLICHINGEN

AUGUST, 1771—DECEMBER, 1771

GOETHE'S RETURN TO FRANKFORT	108
CREATIVE PRODUCTIVENESS OF THE PERIOD	108
POET OR ARTIST?	111
MENTAL CONFLICT	112
EPOCHS IN HIS LAST FRANKFORT YEARS	113
HIS SISTER CORNELIA	116
GROWING DISTASTE FOR FRANKFORT	117
DEPRESSION	119
WORSHIP OF SHAKESPEARE	120
GÖTZ VON BERLICHINGEN	121
ITS INFLUENCE ON EUROPEAN LITERATURE	131

CHAPTER VI

INFLUENCE OF MERCK AND THE DARMSTADT CIRCLE

1772

FRIENDSHIP WITH MERCK	133
CHARACTER OF MERCK	133
HIS INFLUENCE ON GOETHE	135
THE DARMSTADT CIRCLE	136
ITS INFLUENCE ON GOETHE	136
CAROLINE FLACHSLAND AND GOETHE	137
POEMS OF GOETHE INSPIRED BY THE DARMSTADT CIRCLE	138
WANDERERS STURMLIED	139
DER WANDERER	141

CHAPTER VII

WETZLAR AND CHARLOTTE BUFF

MAY—SEPTEMBER, 1772

DEPARTURE FROM WETZLAR	143
WETZLAR AND ITS SOCIETY	144
LOTTE BUFF	147
GOETHE'S RELATIONS TO HER	147
KESTNER, LOTTE'S BETROTHED	148
GOETHE, KESTNER, AND LOTTE	149
DEPARTURE FROM WETZLAR	150
KESTNER'S CHARACTERISATION OF GOETHE	151

CHAPTER VIII

AFTER WETZLAR

1772—1773

SUICIDE OF JERUSALEM	154
GOETHE VISITS THE FAMILY VON LA ROCHE	155
FRAU VON LA ROCHE	155
MAXIMILIANE VON LA ROCHE	157
UNREST	158
LETTERS TO KESTNER	159
ESTRANGEMENT FROM HIS FATHER	161
SOLITUDE	162

CHAPTER IX

SATIRICAL DRAMAS AND FRAGMENTS

POET OR ARTIST?	163
LITERARY ACTIVITY	164
FRANKFURTER GELEHRTEN ANZEIGEN	165
LETTER OF THE PASTOR	166
TWO BIBLICAL QUESTIONS	167
RECASTS GÖTZ VON BERLICHINGEN	167
SATIRICAL PLAYS	169
PROMETHEUS	175
MAHOMET	181
ADLER UND TAUBE	183
KÜNSTLERS ERDEWALLEN	184

CHAPTER X

WERTHER—CLAVIGO

1774

GOETHE'S NEED OF EXTERNAL STIMULUS	185
GOETHE AND THE BRENTANOS	186
ORIGIN OF WERTHER	187
ENGLISH INFLUENCE ON WERTHER	188
PUBLICATION OF WERTHER	189
GOETHE AND WERTHER	190
SECOND PART OF WERTHER	191
WERTHER AND GOETHE	193
INFLUENCE OF WERTHER	196
THE KESTNERS AND WERTHER	198
WERTHERISM	199
CLAVIGO	200
DRAMATISED FROM BEAUMARCHAIS	200
ORIGIN OF CLAVIGO	202
ITS PLOT	202
CONSTRUCTED ON CLASSICAL MODELS	205
CLAVIGO AND GOETHE	206

CHAPTER XI

GOETHE AND SPINOZA—DER EWIGE JUDE

1773—1774

GOETHE'S DEBT TO SPINOZA	209
MISDATES SPINOZA'S INFLUENCE	210
DER EWIGE JUDE	212
ORIGINAL PLAN OF IT	213
AS IT WAS ACTUALLY WRITTEN	216
ITS DIVISIONS	216
ITS CHARACTERISTICS	216
UNPUBLISHED TILL AFTER GOETHE'S DEATH	218

CHAPTER XII

GOETHE IN SOCIETY

1774

JOHANN KASPAR LAVATER	220
HIS CHARACTER	220
HIS INTEREST IN GOETHE	222
VISITS FRANKFORT	224
HIS INTERCOURSE WITH GOETHE	225
JOHANN BERNHARD BASEDOW	227
HIS CHARACTER AND CAREER	227
HIS VISIT TO FRANKFORT	228
GOETHE, LAVATER, AND BASEDOW AT EMS	228
THEIR VOYAGE DOWN THE RHINE	230
JUNG STILLING	231
SCENE AT ELBERFELDT	232
FRITZ JACOBI	233
GOETHE MAKES HIS ACQUAINTANCE	233
THEIR INTERCOURSE	234
JACOBI'S ESTIMATE OF GOETHE	237
KLOPSTOCK	238
GOETHE'S ADMIRATION OF HIM	238
THEIR MEETING IN FRANKFORT	239
AN SCHWAGER KRONOS	240
BOIE AND WERTHES ON GOETHE	241
MAJOR VON KNEBEL AND GOETHE	242
GOETHE AND THE PRINCES OF WEIMAR	243
VON KNEBEL ON GOETHE	244
DEATH OF FRÄULEIN VON KLETTENBERG	245

CHAPTER XIII

LILI SCHÖNEMANN

1775

THE SCHÖNEMANN FAMILY	247
GOETHE'S INTRODUCTION TO LILI SCHÖNEMANN	248
HIS SUBSEQUENT MEMORY OF HER	249
LILI COMPARED WITH HIS PREVIOUS LOVES	250
GOETHE'S SONGS ADDRESSED TO HER	251
COUNTESS STOLBERG	253
GOETHE'S RELATIONS TO HER	253
ERWIN UND ELMIRE	255
STELLA	257
CLAUDINE VON VILLA BELLA	263
A DISTRACTED LOVER	266
BETROTHED TO LILI	268
SHRINKS FROM MARRIAGE	269
COUNTS STOLBERG IN FRANKFORT	270
GOETHE STARTS WITH THEM FOR SWITZERLAND	271
VISITS HIS SISTER AT EMMENDINGEN	273
WITH LAVATER IN ZURICH	275
ACCOMPANIES PASSAVANT TO ST. GOTHARD	276
LYRICS TO LILI	276
RETURN TO FRANKFORT	278

CHAPTER XIV

LAST MONTHS IN FRANKFORT—THE URFAUST

1775

RELATIONS TO LILI ON HIS RETURN	279
A CRISIS IN THEIR RELATIONS	281
MISCELLANEOUS INTERESTS	282
ESTIMATES OF GOETHE BY SULZER AND ZIMMERMANN	283
INVITATION TO WEIMAR	284
PROPOSED JOURNEY TO ITALY	285
A DELAYED MESSENGER	286
DEPARTS FOR WEIMAR	287
EGMONT AND THE URFAUST	287
THE URFAUST	288
CHARACTERISTICS	293

Index

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