Werther's World – Events and Characters of the Year 1774 (English Goethe Society Lecture)

Speaker: Johannes Saltzwedel (Hamburg)

The publication of Die Leiden des jungen Werthers by the 25-year-old Goethe has long been identified as a seminal event in German and European literary history. But in what contexts did his novel appear? What what was the reading world discussing in 1774? What was happening in Europe and in the world at large? These circumstances, socio-political, intellectual, artistic and scientific, are here presented as a tour d’horizon, from new literary genres to opera triumphs in Paris, from achievements in chemistry to Captain Cook's expeditions in the South Seas and the bold frauds of a false Tsarina. Sectarians and blackmailers appear on stage, the social role of spas and the conditions of mobility get a mention; we hear of the first recycled paper and the first electric telegraph. There are also quite a few signs of a brooding revolutionary spirit - but for the moment, an important engagement rounds off the picture.

Johannes Saltzwedel is a Germanist and journalist. 

Attendance free. All are welcome to attend, in person or online via Zoom. Advance online registration is essential, please select appropriate ticket when booking.