Chapter I: Front Matter

THE YOUTH OF GOETHE

BY P. HUME BROWN, LL.D., F.B.A.

LONDON JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W. 1913

TO

THE VISCOUNT HALDANE OF CLOAN, LORD CHANCELLOR OF GREAT BRITAIN.

MY DEAR CHANCELLOR,--AS THE "ONLY BEGETTER" OF THIS BOOK, IT SEEMS ALMOST OBLIGATORY THAT IT SHOULD BE ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR NAME.

THE AUTHOR.

_GOETHE'S BIOGRAPHIE._

"Anfangs ist es ein Punkt der leise zum Kreise sich öffnet,
Aber, wachsend, umfasst dieser am Ende die Welt."

FRIEDRICH HEBBEL.

"In the beginning a point that soft to the circle expandeth,
But the circle at length, growing, enclaspeth the world."

CONTENTS

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