Publication at Faculty of Science |
2018
Abstract
Pain and disease was a frequent sign of the life of the German poet and statesman Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832). Numerous diseases have influenced the quality of Goethe's life through their course, but above all his ability to handle these critical moments.
Goethe's perception of pain and death is demonstrated as a significant motivating element of his thirst for life. The first part of the paper describes the course of selected Goethe's diseases (tuberculosis, erysipelas, renal colic, hemoptysis) and shows that pain became a significant didactic means for both personality development and literary creation.
The poet's famous The Sorrows of Young Werther is discussed, including its alleged consequences.