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A New Reading of Werther as Goethe's Critique of Rousseau
Author(s) -
Tantillo Astrida Orle
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
orbis litterarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.109
H-Index - 8
eISSN - 1600-0730
pISSN - 0105-7510
DOI - 10.1111/j.0105-7510.2001.oli560603.x
Subject(s) - reading (process) , criticism , philosophy , narrative , literature , key (lock) , politics , art , linguistics , law , biology , ecology , political science
This article argues for a new ironic reading of Werther – a reading that highlights Goethe's early critique of Rousseau's political philosophy. The article first compares key passages in Werther to Rousseau's Discours sur l'Origine et les Fondements de l'Inégalité parmi les hommes and Essai sur l'origine des langues to show how Goethe uses Rousseau's texts to create a critical distance between the reader and the sentimental narrative. The article then analyzes Goethe's farcical play, Der Triumph der Empfindsamkeit. While the play is generally read as a satiric criticism of the public's reaction to Werther , this article contends that the play is also a commentary on Rousseau's philosophy and Werther itself.