Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Biography
Born in 1749 the son of a lawyer, mothered by the daughter of the mayor of Frankfurt, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe accomplished many things in his life, becoming a poet, novelist, playwright, philosopher, and scientist (kirjasto). Goethe's mother encouraged his creative mind and writing, but after trouble in school Goethe was home-schooled until the age of 16, when he then began studying law at Liepzig University and art with a man named Adam Oeser (kirjasto). Goethe published his first play in 1767, and his first novel in 1774. When still young, Goethe wrote the poem "Prometheus," which insisted "man must believe not in gods but in himself." This poem is by some "seen as the motto" for the entire Sturm and Drang movement, "which celebrated the energetic Promethean restlessness of spirit as opposed to the ideal of calm rationalism of the Enlightenment" (kirjasto). During his last years, Goethe's main subject centered around the "...state of European culture and politics in [his] last years, and on the human condition in general" (Brown). The obvious example is Faust. However, some of Goethe's earlier works, when he was not writing romantic poetry, also delt with the social issues of the time. Two essays, Letters from the Pastor of ***to the new Pastor of *** in 1773 and Two Biblical Questions Not Previously Expounded in 1783, both brought issues dealing with the church to light.
Goethe took a break from his writing to take on several governmental office positions in the city of Weimar. He also made discoveries in the sciences, specifically in the area of human anatomy and the skull (kirjasto). After being released from his governmental obligations to focus once again on his writing, Goethe took on a mistress and made a journey to Rome, which helped to inspire his growing appreciation and "commitment to a classical view of art" (kirjasto). On March 2, 1832, Goethe died just months after the second part of Faust was completed and published. Though it obvious that an official cause of death cannot be determined, heart attack appears to be the most likely culprit (Brown).
Works
- Buch Annette
- Claudine von Villa Bella (1776)
- Clavigo (1774)
- Erwin and Elmire (1775-1776)
- Faust (Part One: 1808 and Part Two: 1832)
- Fellow Culprits (1787)
- Goetz of Berlichingan
- Goethe's Schriften (1789-1790)
- From my life: Poetry and Truth (1811-1813)
- Nelle Lieder (1770)
- Pandora (1810)
- The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774)
- Two Biblical Questions Not Previously Expounded (1783)
- The Wayward Lovers (1806)
- Wilhelm Meiser's Apprenticeship (1795-1796)
- Zur Farbenlehre (1810)
Historical Context
Resources
Works Cited
Brown, Jane K. "Johann Wolfgang von Goethe." University of Washington. 20 Feb. 2006 Goethe.