Literary Question: The Sorrows of (Young) Wert(h)er

[Some Android]

So I have sort of an odd question. I'm doing this project for Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Naturally this means reading the novel a few times, and I have a question: the monster claims to have found several books one of which is The Sorrows of Werter. Is this the same thing as The Sorrows of Young Werther? I googled searched The Sorrows of Werter and The Sorrows of Young Werther came up. The work in question appears to be German in origin so I'm wondering if this is just an alternate translation/title. I mean the full name of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is technically Frankenstein; or the Modern Prometheus but most people omit the subtitle.

Basically all I'm wondering is...

The Sorrows of Werter=The Sorrows of Young Werther

...or...

The Sorrows of Werter=/=The Sorrows of Young Werther

Thanks in advance.

[Fri]

The Sorrow of Young Werther is a pretty influential and somewhat famous novel, and that's what he's been reading, and "The Sorrow of Werther" is just how the first english translation is translated.

Edit: Apparently the first english translation was translated from the french version rather than the original german, so that might be why the title got translated differently like that. You know, the usual multiple step of translation problem :smallcool:

[Some Android]

The Sorrow of Young Werther is a pretty influential and somewhat famous novel, and that's what he's been reading, and "The Sorrow of Werther" is just how the first english translation is translated.

Edit: Apparently the first english translation was translated from the french version rather than the original german, so that might be why the title got translated differently like that. You know, the usual multiple step of translation problem :smallcool:

WOW! Thanks! I did not expect a reply so soon. I was about to go to bed and was hoping when I woke up I might have a response.

Thanks again! I'm gonna go buy that book as well as Plutarch's Lives. I already own Paradise Lost. Still debating if I should pick up Volney's Ruins of Empires.

[Eldan]

Just read it online somewhere if you can, in a place like Gutenberg, would be my recommendation. It's fairly thin. I also hate it with the burning passion of a thousand suns, but I'm biased since I had to do a project on it in high school.

[Iruka]

Just read it online somewhere if you can, in a place like Gutenberg, would be my recommendation. It's fairly thin. I also hate it with the burning passion of a thousand suns, but I'm biased since I had to do a project on it in high school.

Every student who had to read it in school does.

[Mx.Silver]

Every student who had to read it in school does.

This kind of sentiment seems to be quite common about every novel that gets set as a subject of study in secondary education, really :smalltongue:

[Eldan]

Not really. In High School German, we also read Faust and Die Räuber, both of which I liked a lot, Wilhelm Tell, which is... fine and a handful of others, which I don't really remember much about, but all of which were perfectly serviceable. I liked everything we read in English, too. And French, where I got to read Jules Verne.
Werther, however, is inane, unlikeable drivel written from the viewpoint of a spoiled, whiny little dip****.

[Mx.Silver]

Not really. In High School German, we also read Faust and Die Räuber, both of which I liked a lot.


"Quite common" =/= "100% true of literally everyone about everything" :smalltongue:


"I hate this book and have done ever since they made us read it for English" is not exactly an unfamiliar attitude to come across, particularly in nerd circles, you see.

[Eldan]

True, but unlike other books I dislike becaue they are boring and I was made to read them (there's a few), I also hate Werther on a personal and philosophical level.

[2D8HP]

Not really. In High School German, we also read Faust and Die Räuber, both of which I liked a lot, Wilhelm Tell, which is... fine and a handful of others, which I don't really remember much about, but all of which were perfectly serviceable. I liked everything we read in English, too. And French, where I got to read Jules Verne.
Werther, however, is inane, unlikeable drivel written from the viewpoint of a spoiled, whiny little dip****.


True, but unlike other books I dislike becaue they are boring and I was made to read them (there's a few), I also hate Werther on a personal and philosophical level.


The German Catcher in the Rye, and the Great Gatsby then.

[Eldan]

I find it much worse than Gatsby. There's a scene where the main character - who, again, is a young, healthy, independently wealthy gentleman - sees a group of lepers and then starts pontificating in his inner monologue about how his life is much worse than theirs. Because, you see, he is unhappy in his love life and because he is so much more intelligent and sophisticated than they are, he is capable of feeling much deeper sadness than they ever will.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Yup, all that middle class suburban white guy angst. Really, given the books they pick for high school English classes, I'm not surprised no one in this country wants to read.

And you got to read Verne? In the original? So jelly, we still have to make do with Victorian translations of the German translation (sometimes from the Italian translation) of the French.

[Mx.Silver]

Yup, all that middle class suburban white guy angst. Really, given the books they pick for high school English classes, I'm not surprised no one in this country wants to read.

Granted, this is going to depend on what country 'this country' is, but I would be surprised if there weren't at least a couple of other factors that might just rank a little bit higher in terms of impact on overall reading rates :smalltongue:

[tensai_oni]

Young Werter is amazing. One of the funniest books I've read in high school, and I refuse to believe the titular character's petty angst and unlikeability weren't intentional. The title was a smash hit back in the day but no one, except Goethe himself, was on the joke.

Good times.