Reading Goethe: A Critical Introduction to the Literary Work

STIMULATING: CRITICALLY ACUTE: INVITING: AS-NEW Stated First Edition hardcover (2002) First Printing, FINE mylar-protected jacket, IMMACULATE text-block exterior, as-new sewn binding w/ tight signatures, PRISTINE interior handsomely printed on EXCELLENT unblemished archival paper * 6.38" x 9.25", 0.50 kg, ix+186 (195) pp. * ABOUT THE BOOK: Goethe is Germany's greatest writer. Appropriately, literary scholars within Germany & beyond have paid tribute to his remarkable genius. But a number of commentators have also noted that Goethe is often revered rather than read, known of rather than known. It is the aim of this study to provide a corrective to this state of affairs. The authors concentrate on the literary work & offer analyses that represent an impassioned, but by no means uncritical, advocacy: one that seeks to persuade both academic critics & general readers alike that Goethe is one of the key figures of European modernity. To an extent that is virtually unique in modern literature, Goethe was active in a wide range of literary genres. A superb poet, he was unrivaled in the variety of his expressive modes & his ability to combine intellectual sophistication w/ experiential immediacy. He also wrote short stories & novels throughout his life, ranging from "The Sorrows of Young Werther" to "The Elective Affinities". He was also a highly skilled dramatist, both in the historical mode & in the classical verse-drama. Above all else, Goethe is the author of "Faust": a work that attempts - & achieves - more than any other modern European drama. * HIGH PRAISE: "This study aims to provide an accessible introduction to the major elements of Goethe's writing & thinking. In this it succeeds admirably. The authors' critical approach to Goethe's works is founded on sound scholarship, but they wear their learning lightly. This book's greatest virtue is the authors' direct, often intimate & urgent engagement w/ the literary texts. Their enthusiasm for the subject (which does not preclude occasional critical distance) carries the readers w/ them through Goethe's massive oeuvre. The style is approachable, accessible. In the sections discussing Goethe's narrative fiction & drama, the reader will find clear & concise summaries of narratives & plot before proceeding to a discussion that engages critically w/ the text. The volume can be recommend unreservedly to the English-speaking student as a readable & stimulating introduction to Goethe's character, thought, &, above all, to his creative writing." -John R. Williams , University of St. Andrews * ABOUT THE AUTHORS: ERIKA SWALES is College Lecturer & Fellow of King's College, Cambridge. MARTIN SWALES is Professor of German at University College London. * SHIPPING: MNEMOSYNE carefully wraps, labels & custom-packages this fine book for FREE domestic shipment via USPS MEDIA MAIL (or USPS PRIORITY MAIL for a below-cost additional fee) & via USPS FIRST CLASS AIRMAIL to all INTERNATIONAL destinations at our posted rates.…