The Sorrows of Young Werther

The Sorrows of Young Werther is considered the first great German novel and a turning-point in the birth of European Romanticism. Its portrayal of Werther's consuming, unrequited love and ultimate suicide unleashed a phenomenon known as "Werther fever" across the continent, inspiring imitation in dress, manner, and — tragically — in self-destruction. Napoleon Bonaparte reportedly carried the novel with him on his campaigns and claimed to have read it seven times.

First appearing in 1774, The Sorrows of Young Werther became the first international bestseller in the modern sense, translated rapidly into numerous languages and spawning a cultural sensation that transcended national borders. The novel's depiction of suicide triggered a documented wave of copycat deaths, making it an early and unsettling case study in the power of literature to shape behavior. Its success established the young Goethe as the leading literary figure of his generation and inaugurated the Romantic movement in German letters.