RENAISSANCE TO ENLIGHTENMENT
(1749–1832), as an internationally
acclaimed writer. Completed in
just six frenetic weeks, Goethe’s
debut novel is epistolary in form
and loosely autobiographical. It
consists of a series of letters written
by the hero, Werther, a young artist
in the Romantic tradition, to his
friend William. The letters describe
his tormented passion for a young
woman, Lotte, who is promised to
another. The novel’s popularity was
such that “Werther Fever” spread
across Europe, with young men
adopting the dress and habits
of its eponymous, tragic hero.SONGS OF INNOCENCE
AND OF EXPERIENCE
(1794), WILLIAM BLAKEBla ke’s Songs of Innocence and
of Experience—masterpieces of
English lyric poetry, rich in rhythmic
subtlety—explore what the poet
defined as “Two Contrasting States
of the Human Soul.” Songs of
Innocence, first published in 1789,
portrays the innocence of childhood
through the eyes of the child or as
observed by adults. The edition of
1794 was expanded to include the
contrasting “Songs of Experience,”
including “The Tyger” and “The
Fly.” These explore experiences
of fear, aggression, conflict, and
oppression, which come with the
loss of innocence and childhood.JACQUES THE FATALIST
(1796), DENIS DIDEROTPublished posthumously, Jacques
the Fatalist and his Master by
French Enlightenment philosopher
and writer Diderot (1713–84) explores
issues of moral responsibility, free
will, and determinism. Much of thewriter Laurence Sterne (1713–68),
was published in nine volumes over
eight years, and is a fictionalized
biography of its hero and a parody
of the novels of its day. Narrated in
an endless series of digressions and
speculations by Shandy, the novel
begins with his botched conception
(though he is not born until Volume
II) and then ambles through his life,
introducing unfinished anecdotes,
shifts in time, and various colorful
characters—Shandy’s parents, his
Uncle Toby and his servant Trim,
the parson Yorick, and household
servant Obadiah. Its experimental
approach—as well as the erratic
narrative, Sterne left some pages
blank and littered others with
asterisks—has led some to describe
it as a forerunner of 20th-century
stream-of-consciousness writing.THE SORROWS OF
YOUNG WERTHER
(1774), JOHANN WOLFGANG
VON GOETHEA significant novel in the Sturm
und Drang (literally, “Storm and
Urge”) movement, The Sorrows
of Young Werther established its
26-year-old German author, Goethe105
William Blake
Born in Soho, London, in 1757,
Blake left school at the age of- Profoundly influenced by
the Bible from an early age,
he experienced visions on
angelic and heavenly themes
throughout his life; religious
and spiritual motifs figured
heavily in both his poetry and
his engravings. After being
apprenticed to a distinguished
London printmaker, Blake
developed his own method of
relief etching in 1789, which
he used in his finest illustrated
works. Now considered the
earliest and most original of
the Romantic poets, at the
time of his death in 1827 many
contemporaries dismissed his
work and regarded him as mad.
Key works1794 Songs of Innocence and
of Experience (see left)
1804–20 Jerusalemnovel consists of dialogue between
Jacques and his unnamed master
who are riding through France; on
his master’s prompting they begin
to talk about their loves. A picture
emerges not just of 18th-century
France, but also of a world in which
events occur at random and, as
personified by Jacques, where
history determines an individual’s
fate. Diderot’s novel is complex and
multilayered—the haphazard
progress of Jacques’ journey is
frequently interrupted by long,
often-comedic digressions, other
characters, other narratives, and
chance events. This playful and
modern narrative style has led to
Diderot’s book being hailed as a
precursor of the 20th-century novel.It is certain that nothing
on earth but love makes
a person necessary.
The Sorrows of
Young Werther
Johann Wolfgang von GoetheUS_102-105_FR_CH2.indd 105 08/10/2015 13:04