48 pages 1 hour read

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The Sorrows of Young Werther

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1774

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Essay Topics

1.

How does Goethe make use of irony to reveal the limits of Werther’s rejection of social convention? Use examples from the text.

2.

How does Werther’s romantic idealism affect his ability to serve as a reliable narrator of his own life? Find specific moments in the text where his emotional sensibility is at odds with his reality.

3.

What does the portrayal of Lotte, particularly in the June 16 letter, suggest about the qualities that Werther values in women? To what extent can she act as a female version of him?