The Life of Goethe
A Critical Biography
Blackwell Critical Biographies
1. Edition September 1998
352 Pages, Hardcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
ISBN:
978-0-631-16376-3
John Wiley & Sons
Goethe established a major European reputation and profoundly
influenced his contemporaries and literary successors, not least
among them the British Romantic writers Coleridge, Scott, and
Byron.
* * Offers a comprehensive one-volume study of a major European
literary figure.
* Deals in depth and detail with the totality of Goethe's output
and activity.
List of Plates.
Preface.
1. The Life.
2. The Lyric Poet.
3. The Dramatist.
4. The Novelist: Prose and Verse Narratives.
5. The Scientist.
Conclusion.
Notes.
Bibliography.
Index.
Index to Goethe's Works.
Preface.
1. The Life.
2. The Lyric Poet.
3. The Dramatist.
4. The Novelist: Prose and Verse Narratives.
5. The Scientist.
Conclusion.
Notes.
Bibliography.
Index.
Index to Goethe's Works.
"The Life of Goethe admirably fills a gap in Goethe studies.
John Williams provides a patient and thorough life-story." Alain
de Botton
"Williams's study of Goethe's life and letters is a welcome
contribution to Goethe scholarship. By translating all German
citations, quotations, and references into English, Williams makes
Goethe accessible to the English-speaking audience. "The German
Quarterly
"Details importantly formative or influential are mentioned. All
examples of significant experience conveyed in his poetry are given
in both German as originally written and in English translation.
"Psychological Reports
"To attempt a critical biography of a writer of Goethe's stature
is no mean task and John Williams has shown that he is more than
equal to it. He has provided what must be one of the most scholarly
and readable accounts in English of Goethe's life and massive
achievement. The style is lively and energetic and the English
translations of the Goethe quotations are always apt and remarkably
close to the original. This is an excellent book, lucid and
penetrating. Dr Williams is to be congratulated on this major
contribution to Goethe scholarship and for the infectious way in
which he communicates his knowledge of, and love for, his subject."
Forum for Modern Language Studies
"Intended for Germanists and non-Germanists alike, John
Williams's The Life of Goethe: A Critical Biography deserves
to go straight to the top of undergraduate reading lists. As a
critical survey, it is hard to see this being surpassed." Modern
Language Review
John Williams provides a patient and thorough life-story." Alain
de Botton
"Williams's study of Goethe's life and letters is a welcome
contribution to Goethe scholarship. By translating all German
citations, quotations, and references into English, Williams makes
Goethe accessible to the English-speaking audience. "The German
Quarterly
"Details importantly formative or influential are mentioned. All
examples of significant experience conveyed in his poetry are given
in both German as originally written and in English translation.
"Psychological Reports
"To attempt a critical biography of a writer of Goethe's stature
is no mean task and John Williams has shown that he is more than
equal to it. He has provided what must be one of the most scholarly
and readable accounts in English of Goethe's life and massive
achievement. The style is lively and energetic and the English
translations of the Goethe quotations are always apt and remarkably
close to the original. This is an excellent book, lucid and
penetrating. Dr Williams is to be congratulated on this major
contribution to Goethe scholarship and for the infectious way in
which he communicates his knowledge of, and love for, his subject."
Forum for Modern Language Studies
"Intended for Germanists and non-Germanists alike, John
Williams's The Life of Goethe: A Critical Biography deserves
to go straight to the top of undergraduate reading lists. As a
critical survey, it is hard to see this being surpassed." Modern
Language Review
John R. Williams is honorary Senior Lecturer in the Department of German at the University of St Andrews. He has published numerous scholarly articles on German literature and is the author of Goethe's 'Faust' (1987). In 1982 he was awarded a prize by the Theodor-Storm-Gesellschaft in an international competition for verse translation.