The Youth of Goethe

[1] Gespräche mit Eckermann, January 27th, 1824.

[2] In 1792, on the occasion of his being offered the honour of Rathsherr (town-councillor) in Frankfort, he wrote to his mother that "it was an honour, not only in the eyes of Europe, but of the whole world, to have been a citizen of Frankfort." (Goethe to his mother, December 24th, 1792). So, in 1824, he told Bettina von Arnim that, had he had the choice of his birthplace, he would have chosen Frankfort. As we shall see, Goethe did not always speak so favourably of Frankfort.

[3]

[4] In his later years Goethe preferred life in a small town. "Zwar ist es meiner Natur gemäss, an einem kleinen Orte zu leben." (Goethe to Zelter, December 16th, 1804.)

[5] To Chancellor von Müller Goethe said: "Mein Vater war ein tüchtiger Mann, aber freilich fehlte ihm Gewandtheit und Beweglichkeit des Geistes."

[6] Writing to her grandchild, Goethe's mother says: "Dein lieber Vater hat mir nie Kummer oder Verdruss verursacht."

[7] When the son of Frau von Stein was about to visit her, Goethe wrote: "Da sie nicht so ernsthaft ist wie ich, so wirst du dich besser bei ihr befinden."

[8] Goethe's letters addressed to Cornelia from Leipzig, when he was in his eighteenth year, are in the tone at once of an affectionate brother and of a schoolmaster. Their subsequent relations to each other will appear in the sequel.

[9] It was doubtless due to the absence of strict drill in his youth that Goethe, as he himself tells us, never acquired the art of punctuating his own writings.

[10] Goethe said of himself that he had no "grammatical vein."

[11] With reference to what he says of his Biblical studies he wrote as follows to a correspondent (January 30th, 1812): "Dass Sie meine asiatischen Weltanfänge so freundlich aufnehmen, ist mir von grossem Wert. Es schlingt sich die daher für mich gewonnene Kultur durch mein ganzes Leben...."

[12] His remark to Eckermann (1828) is well known: "Meine Sachen können nicht populär werden; wer daran denkt und dafür strebt, ist in einem Irrthum."

[13] So Weislingen (in Götz von Berlichingen), whom Goethe meant to be a double of himself, says: "Ich bin ein Chamaeleon."

[14] All Goethe's boyish productions that have been preserved will be found in Der junge Goethe, Neue Ausgabe in sechs Bänden besorgt von Max Morris, Leipzig, 1909.

[15] X. Doudan, Mélanges et Lettres, i. 524.

[16] Werke, Briefe, Band i., 68-9.

[17] On the occasion of a visit he paid to Leipzig in 1783, Goethe says: "Die Leipziger sind als eine kleine, moralische Republik anzusehn. Jeder steht für sich, hat einige Freunde und geht in seinem Wesen fort."

[18] Gespräche mit Riemer, Anfang 1807.

[19]

[20] In point of fact Goethe retained to the end the intonation and the idioms of his native speech.

[21] In his Autobiography Goethe states as the reason for his casting off the home-made suit he had brought with him from Frankfort, that a person entering the Leipzig theatre in similar costume excited the ridicule of the audience.

[22] Werke, Briefe, Band i. 159.

[23] Ib. pp. 60-3.

[24] Ib. pp. 61-2.

[25] Ib. pp. 81-2.

[26] Ib. p. 86. The passage is in French.

[27] This was the work of Behrisch, who was a virtuoso in calligraphy.

[28] Werke, Briefe, i. 96-7.

[29] Ib. p. 105.

[30] Ib. p. 116.

[31] Ib. p. 133.

[32] Ib. pp. 158-9.

[33] "Das Bedürfnis meiner Natur zwingt mich zu einer vermannigfaltigten Thätigkeit," he wrote of himself in his thirty-second year.

[34] When, in his thirty-sixth year, Goethe renewed his acquaintance with Oeser, he wrote of him to Frau von Stein: "C'est comme si cet homme ne devroit pas mourir, tant ses talents paroissent toujours aller en s'augmentant."

[35] Werke, Briefe, Band i. 179.

[36] In later years he consoled himself with the reflection that the time he had spent on the technicalities of art was not wholly lost, as he had thus acquired powers of observation which were valuable to him both as a poet and as a man of science.

[37] Werke, Briefe, Band i. 67.

[38] Ib. p. 88.

[39] Notably in his paper, entitled Literarischer Sansculottismus. See above, p. 4. Regarding Lessing he made this remark to Eckermann (February 7th, 1827): "Bedauert doch den ausserordentlichen Menschen, dass er in einer so erbärmlichen Zeit leben musste, die ihm keine bessern Stoffe gab, als in seinen Stücken verarbeitet sind!"

[40] "Lessing war der höchste Verstand, und nur ein ebenso grosser konnte von ihm wahrhaft lernen. Dem Halbvermögen war er gefährlich." (To Eckermann, January 18th, 1825.)

[41] Nine of these Lieder Goethe thought worthy of a permanent place in his collected works.

[42] This play was based on an earlier attempt made in Frankfort.

[43] The exact time and place of its composition is uncertain, but Goethe's own testimony seems to indicate that it was mainly written in Leipzig, in 1769. It was first published in 1787, with some modifications, which affect only the form.

[44] With a fatuity into which he occasionally fell, Goethe in Dichtung und Wahrheit remarks that his two plays are an illustration of that most Christian text, "Let him who is without sin among you cast the first stone."

[45] The translation of this passage is by Miss Minna Steele Smith.—Poetry and Truth from My Own Life (London, 1908.)

[46] In a letter to W. von Rumohr (September 28th, 1807), Goethe calls "unaufhaltsame Natur, unüberwindliche Neigung, drängende Leidenschaft" the "Haupterfordernisse der wahren Poesie." In two of his Zahme Xenien Goethe has expressed his opinion on the necessity of inspiration in poetic production:—

[47] When approaching his eightieth year, Goethe remarked to Chancellor von Müller (March 6th, 1828): "Wer mit mir umgehen will, muss zuweilen auch meine Grobianslaune zugeben, ertragen, wie eines andern Schwachheit oder Steckenpferd."

[48] Referring to the time he now spent in Frankfort, Goethe says in Dichtung und Wahrheit: "Mit dem Vater selbst konnte sich kein angenehmes Verhältniss knüpfen."

[49] Werke, Briefe, Band i. 215.

[50] Ib. p. 217.

[51] Cf. his beautiful characterisation of Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland, in whom he found the embodiment at once of the Christian graces and of reine Menschlichkeit.

[52] Probably Goethe had this book in his mind when he wrote the sarcastic epigram:—

[53] Yet at a later date he would seem to have regarded his mystical studies as among the errors of his youth. In his Tagebuch, under date August 7th, 1779, he writes as follows, and the passage may be taken as a commentary on the whole period of his life with which we are dealing: "Stiller Rückblick auf's Leben auf die Verworrenheit Betriebsamkeit, Wissbegierde der Jugend, wie sie überall herumschweift, um etwas Befriedigendes zu finden. Wie ich besonders in Geheimnissen, dunklen imaginativen Verhältissen eine Wollust gefunden habe."

[54] Werke, Briefe, Band i. 179, November 7th, 1768.

[55] Ib. p. 173.

[56] Ib. p. 217.

[57] Ib. p. 211.

[58] Ib. p. 224.

[59] Goethe saw Käthchen as a married woman in Leipzig in 1776, when he wrote to the lady who then held his affections (Frau von Stein): "Mais ce n'est plus Julie."

[60] Werke, Briefe, Band i. 205.

[61] Ib. p. 230.

[62] Goethe has this entry in his Tagebuch (April 2nd, 1780): "Wieland sieht ganz unglaublich alles, was man machen will, macht, und was hangt und langt in einer Schrift."

[63] Werke, Briefe, Band i. 200.

[64] So we are led to infer from what he says in Part iii., Book ii. of Dichtung und Wahrheit.

[65] Werke, Briefe, Band i. 232.

[66] Ib. p. 234.

[67] Ib. pp. 240, 241.

[68] Lerse, one of Goethe's friends in Strassburg, said: "Da geriet Goethe oft in hohe Verzückung, sprach Worte der Prophezeiung und machte Lerse Besorgnisse, er werde überschnappen." (Goethe's Gespräche. Gesamtausgabe von Freiherrn v. Biedermann, Leipzig, 1909, i. p. 19.)

[69] Werke, Briefe, Band i. pp. 245-7.

[70] Jung Stilling.

[71] Biedermann, op. cit., i. pp. 15, 19. At an earlier period Goethe was thus described: "Er mag 15 oder 16 Jahr alt sein, im übrigen hat er mehr ein gutes Plappermaul als Gründlichkeit." Ib. p. 6.

[72] Goethe's personal appearance made such a remarkable impression on all who met him that it deserves to be more minutely described. In stature he was slightly over the middle height, though the poise of his head, both in youth and age, gave the impression of greater tallness. Till past his thirtieth year he was notably slender in figure, a defect in symmetry being the observable shortness of the legs, and he walked with swift, elastic step. The foot was elegantly shaped, but the hand was that of the descendant of ancestors who had been engaged in manual labour. The head was of oval form, the chin small and feminine, the height of the forehead remarkable. The face, which (in youth) gave the impression of smallness, was brown in complexion; the nose was delicately formed and slightly curved; the hair brown, abundant, and usually dishevelled. The feature which struck all who met him for the first time was the eyes, which were brown in colour, large, and widely-opened, with the white conspicuous, and piercingly bright.—An exhaustive study of the portraits and busts of Goethe will be found in Goethes Kopf und Gestalt von Karl Bauer, Berlin, 1908.

[73] Stilling elsewhere says: "Schade, dass so wenige diesen vortrefflichen Menschen seinem Herzen nach kennen!" Others used similar expressions regarding Goethe's mind and heart.

[74] R. Haym, Herder's biographer, says of him: "Einen unbedingt erfreulichen, harmonischen Eindruck kann dieser Mann, der selbst von den 'gräulichen Dissonanzen' redet, in die Äussererungen zuweilen ausklingen möchten, auch auf den günstigst gestimmten Betrachter nimmermehr machen." (Herder nach seinem Leben und seinen Werken, Berlin, 1887, i. p. 396.)

[75] Goethe attached so much importance to many of Hamann's utterances that, as late as 1806, he had thoughts of bringing out an edition of Hamann's works.

[76] Herder thought that Goethe was lacking in enthusiasm.

[77] Elsewhere Herder calls Goethe a Specht, a wood-pecker.

[78] Writing to a correspondent in 1780, Goethe says: "Herder fährt fort, sich und andern das Leben sauer zu machen."

[79] Götz von Berlichingen.

[80] Von deutcher Baukunst.

[81] Werke, Briefe, Band i. p. 264. He adds that he would prefer to be Mercury, the least of the seven planets that revolve round the sun, than first among the five that revolve round Saturn.

[82] Herder himself says of his influence on Goethe: "Ich glaube ihm, ohne Lobrednerei, einige gute Eindrücke gegeben zu haben, die einmal wirksam werden können."—Haym, op. cit. i. 392.

[83] Ib. Band ii. p. 18.

[84] Schiller, in a letter to C.G. Körner, the father of the poet, writes (July, 1787): "He [Herder] said that Goethe had greatly influenced his intellectual development."

[85] Ib. Band i. p. 250.

[86] Subsequent investigation has proved that Goethe has committed several errors of fact in his narrative. For example, he relates that on his first visit to the Sesenheim family he was vividly reminded of the family of the Vicar of Wakefield. In point of fact, he was introduced to Goldsmith's work by Herder, who came to Strassburg subsequent to Goethe's first visit to Sesenheim.

[87] Ib. p. 251.

[88] It is recorded that his voice trembled as he dictated the passages referring to Sesenheim and Friederike.

[89] In reality, there were four daughters, but Goethe omits mention of the other two in order to make more striking the resemblance between the family of the Vicar of Wakefield and that of Sesenheim.

[90] Biedermann, op. cit. i. pp. 16-17.

[91] In the recently discovered manuscript of Wilhelm Meisters Theatralische Sendung occurs this passage, evidently self-descriptive: "Als Knabe hatte er zu grossen prächtigen Worten und Sprüchen eine ausserordentliche Liebe, er schmückte seine Seele damit aus wie mit einem köstlichen Kleide, und freute sich darüber, als wenn sie zu ihm selbst gehörten kindlisch über diesen äussern Schmuck."

[92] Werke, Briefe, Band i. p. 258 ff.

[93] Friederike died in 1815. She was still alive when Goethe was writing the story of their love.

[94]

[95] "I, too," Goethe wrote in Dichtung und Wahrheit, "had trodden the path of knowledge, and had early been led to see the vanity of it."

[96] In point of fact, only two legal cases passed through Goethe's hands during the first seven months after his return. During the later period of his stay in Frankfort he was more busily engaged with law.

[97] The younger brother, Georg, subsequently married Cornelia.

[98] Werke, Briefe, Band 2, pp. 7-8.

[99] Ib. p. 6.

[100] Ib. p. 8.

[101] Ib. p. 14.

[102] So it was then thought, but the exact date is uncertain.

[103] The toast of the evening—"The Will of all Wills"—was given by Goethe, who thereupon delivered the panegyric on Shakespeare which he had composed in Strassburg. This toast was followed by one to the health of Herder.

[104] In the characters of Marie and Elizabeth we have traits of Friederike and of Goethe's mother.

[105] As we have seen, the Leipzig book of verses did not attract general attention.

[106] Lessing strongly disapproved of Götz as flouting the doctrines laid down in his Dramaturgie. When his brother announced to him that Götz had been played with great applause in Berlin, his cold comment was that no doubt the chief credit was due to the decorator.

[107] Two of the scenes in Götz were imitated by Scott in his own work—the Vehmgericht scene in Anne of Geierstein and the description of the siege of Torquilstone by Rebecca to the wounded Ivanhoe. Scott also borrowed from Egmont.

[108] Eckermann, Gespräche mit Goethe, November 9th, 1824.

[109] It was Schlosser who had made Goethe and Merck acquainted. Herder, to whom Merck was known, had been a previous intermediary.

[110] A six hours' walk.

[111] The poem, entitled Der Wanderer, noted below.

[112] The girl meant was no doubt Käthchen Schönkopf.

[113] Über Goethe's Gedichte (1911), p. 157.

[114] On account of his constant travels between Frankfort and Darmstadt, Goethe was known among his friends as the Wanderer. The poem was written in the autumn, during Goethe's residence in Wetzlar.

[115] Biedermann, op. cit. i. 19-20.

[116] Werther, as Goethe reminds us in one of his Venetian epigrams, was known in China:—

[117] The Praktikanten were voluntary attendants on the Imperial Court, had little or no dependence on the authorities, and lived on their own resources.

[118] Caroline Flachsland to Herder, May 25th, 1772.

[119] Goethe to Herder, Werke, Briefe, Band ii. 15.

[120] In the Kronprinz, the principal hotel in the town.

[121] Goethe's own lodging (still shown) was in the Gewandsgasse, a narrow, dirty street, whence sun or moon could be seen at no season of the year.

[122] In his contemporary letters, Goethe does not always speak of Gotter so favourably as he does in his Autobiography.

[123] An exhaustive account of Goethe's sojourn in Wetzlar will be found in W. Herbst's Goethe in Wetzlar, 1772. Vier Monate aus des Dichters Jugendleben, Gotha, 1881.

[124] This is the expression of Kestner, Lotte's betrothed.

[125] Such abrupt departures were characteristic of Goethe. We shall find him taking similar unceremonious leave of another of his loves. Goethe, wrote Frau von Stein to her son (May, 1812), "kann das Abschied nehmen nicht leiden, er ging ohne Abschied neulich von mir."

[126] Kestner's characterisation of Goethe will be found in Biedermann, op. cit. i. pp. 21-3.

[127] Goethe had made Jerusalem's acquaintance in Leipzig. Jerusalem called Goethe a Geck, a coxcomb, a description which, as we have seen, was not inapplicable to him in his Leipzig days. Jerusalem was a friend of Lessing, who highly esteemed him, and after his death published his MSS.

[128] In point of fact, Goethe announced himself. Merck arrived after him.

[129] In a letter to Schiller (July 24th, 1799) Goethe gives a much less favourable estimate of Frau von la Roche, whom he had just met: "Sie gehört zu den nivellierenden Naturen, sie hebt das Gemeine herauf und zieht das Vorzügliche herunter...."

[130] Goethe to Kestner, November 10th, 1772. Werke, Briefe, Band ii. 35.

[131] To the same, September 15th, 1773. Ib. p. 104.

[132] Ib. pp. 82-3.

[133] November 27th, 1772.

[134] Goethe wrote the epilogue to the last number of the Review, of which he says to Kestner, "hat ich das Publikum und den Verleger turlipinirt."