Goethe's details

Goethe (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832)

Goethe is the foremost representative of German classical literature and one of the most outstanding writers in the history of world literature. His life went through three stages in the history of German literature: the Rampant Movement, Classicism and Romanticism, and he was one of the few long-lived writers in German history. Goethe's eminence in the history of world literature needs no introduction, and besides the fact that Marx and Engels were particularly fond of his writings, one of the only two literary works that Lenin carried with him in exile was Faust. The philosopher Schelling said, "When Goethe lived, Germany was not alone or penniless; despite its weakness and brokenness, it remained spiritually great, rich and strong."

Goethe was born in Frankfurt am Main in 1749. His father, Johann Kaspar Goethe, was a royal advisor and doctor of law, and his mother was the daughter of the then mayor of Frankfurt, Tekstol. At the age of eight, Goethe translated into German the Latin exercises of the highest year of the liberal arts high school, and began to study French, English, Italian, and Hebrew. 10 years old, he read Aesop, Homer, and others, and by 11 he was reading Racine and Molière, and in August 1765, at his father's insistence, Goethe went against his wishes to study the classics and went to Leipzig to study law. In August 1765, at his father's insistence, Goethe went to Leipzig to study law, and in April 1770 he traveled to Strasbourg to complete his studies. Goethe's writing career began at the age of 10. In the fall of 1774, the publication of The Troubles of Young Werther made him famous, and in November 1775, Goethe came to Weimar, where he entered the court of the Duchy of Weimar in the following year, and began a career of nearly 10 years as a government official, serving as counselor of the Privy Council, military governor, and presiding over the tax office, etc. In September 1786, he began a tour of Italy that lasted for a number of years, which provided the basis for his later writing.

This provided him with a rich source of nourishment for his later writing.

In 1794, Goethe and Schiller met, opening up the heyday of German classical literature "characterized by the friendship of Goethe and Schiller". For 10 years, they helped each other in their creative endeavors and each wrote their own masterpieces. With Schiller's facilitation, Goethe wrote his life's work, Faust. The two literary giants 10 years together and cooperation to the German classical literature to the peak, and make Weimar this small park capital city jumped into the cultural center of Germany and Europe at that time.

As a representative of the German "Rampage" movement, Goethe called for freedom and glorified resistance in a series of his works. The novel's fierce resistance to feudal morality and hierarchical concepts, as well as its strong demand for the liberation of individuality and the development of "genius", called out the inner voices of a generation of awakened intellectuals, and was therefore hailed and applauded by the progressives. This epistolary novel has made many people love it, even Napoleon, who had been in military service all his life, carried it with him and read it seven times. Engels said that it is not "a commonplace sentimental romance", but "established one of the greatest critical feats".

Goethe spent 58 years completing the poetic drama "La Fertigue", which is the culmination of a lifetime of rich thought and artistic exploration, and is a great poem comparable to Homer's epic and Shakespeare's drama. When Goethe finally completed the book in 1831, he wrote in his diary, "The main business is finished" and "My life hereafter I can regard as a pure gift. Whether I do or will do anything is now utterly indifferent." Faust portrays a man who is constantly searching for the true meaning of life and is constantly on the move. The protagonist, Dr. Faustus, when he was a hundred years old and blind, still believed that life should be "every day, every day, to develop life and freedom, and then only for the enjoyment of freedom and life", which embodies the spirit of the bourgeoisie's rising period of the pursuit of truth, self-improvement, and is also a reflection of the excellent traditions of the German nation.

Goethe's love life was rich and tortuous, full of romanticism. 1775, he was engaged to 16-year-old Lilly Swinman in Frankfurt, which made him spend a period of "the most exciting and happy time of his life", but due to the parents' opposition, the two failed to tie the knot. 1806, October. In October 1806, after a number of romantic setbacks, Goethe married Christine, who preceded him in death ten years later. In his later years, Goethe experienced another legendary love affair - at the age of 74, he fell in love with the 19-year-old Levitzow. His last love affair was a failure due to the opposition of public opinion. The last 20 years of Goethe's life were relatively quiet, and he devoted himself to his creative work and to the study of natural sciences. The great man of literature died on March 22, 1832, after completing the second part of his magnum opus, Faustadt.

A Chronology of Goethe's Life

1749 Born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

1756 Age 7 Under the strict supervision of his father, Goethe develops many talents. He was educated in Latin, French, Italian, English, Hebrew, painting, music, fencing and horsemanship.

1763 Age 14 First love with Gretchen for two years.

1765 Age 16: Enrolled at the University of Leipzig to study law.

1768 Aged 19 Returned home due to illness, became enamored of poetry and painting, and cultivated pantheistic religious feelings.

1769 Age 20 First collection of poems, 'New Songs', was published.

1770 Age 21: Entered the University of Strasbourg to study law. The German literary world was in the midst of the Rhapsody, which led to Goethe's fascination with nature, Homer, Shakespeare, the Bible, and ballads. And falls in love with the daughter of a pastor, Friederike? Brienne fell in love.

1771 Age 22 Obtains his law degree and returns to Frankfurt. Completes the first historical drama in German literature, "G?tz? G?tz-Fen? Berlichingen'.

1772 Age 23: Studied law at the Reichstag and stayed in Wetzlar. He met Charlotte and fell in love with her, but since she was already engaged to be married, he forced himself to leave and constructed the play "The Troubles of Young Werther" to express his feelings.

1773 24 years old It was a lonely year for Goethe. Charlotte married, and so did her beloved sister Cornelia. "G?tz? G?tz? Berlichingen" was published and "Faust" was drafted.

1774 At the age of 25, 'The Troubles of Young Werther' was published, which shook the world of literature and made him one of the most famous writers in the world. He finished the opera "Clavigo" and met the two princes of the Duchy of Weimar, leaving a favorable impression on each other, which set the stage for his future trip to Weimar.

1775 Age 26: Engaged to Elizabeth Scheinman. After falling in love with Elisabeth Scheunemann and breaking off the engagement, she accepted the invitation of the Grand Duke of Weimar to go to Weimar to take up a position in the government, and then to work in the mines and study geology, mineralogy, botany, osteology, and anatomy, and Weimar became her lifelong home. At this time, he completed the opera "Alvin and Emily" and the play "Stella".

1776 At age 27, he fell in love with Mrs. Stein, who was seven years older, and the love affair lasted twelve years. The book "Stella" was published and the opera "Brother and Sister" was completed.

1782 Age 33: Father dies, he is knighted as a nobleman and becomes Prefect of the Interior. Despite his busy schedule, he continues to pursue his studies, especially in the natural sciences, and publishes a number of works.

In 1786, at the age of 37, he traveled to Italy to continue writing Faust.

1788 Aged 39, he returned to Weimar, where he left Mrs. Stein to write lyric poetry again. The first meeting with the poet Schiller, who became a close friend, energized Goethe's literary activity and thus increased the variety of his works.

1789 Age 40 Birth of his first son, Augustus. Completion of the opera "Dassault", which coincided with the outbreak of the French Revolution.

1801 Age 52: Suffered from a bout of venereal disease and was reborn. He continued to write Faust.

1806 Age 57: Married to Christine. The Holy Roman Empire collapses and Napoleon attacks Weimar.

1808 Age 59 Napoleon summoned his lords to an audience in Eiffe. Goethe was also summoned, and said with great respect to him, "This is the man".

1816 67 years old, his wife Christine died, but Goethe's spiritual vision increased, and his mind and body did not deteriorate with age.

1819 Age 70: He continued to write poems in the Eastern style for six years, and published them in a volume called "West-East Poems".

1823 Age 74: After convalescing in Malemba for a heart condition, he met a seventeen-year-old girl named Ulrike, whose proposal of marriage was rejected, and therefore wrote a great work of lyric poetry, "Lament for Malemba".

1830 Aged 81. His son Augustus died.

1831 Age 82: Completion of the great work Faust, which lasted 58 years.

1832 Age 83 Goethe caught a cold and died peacefully after a few days of illness.