Lotte in Weimar The Beloved Returns
“Lotte in Weimar The Beloved Returns” by Thomas Mann is a novelistic biography that explores the life and legacy of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, published by Penguin Books, Limited in April 1991. This edition spans 336 pages and is presented in English. The narrative offers a dual portrait of Goethe and Lotte, the woman who inspired Charlotte in Goethe’s “The Sorrows of Young Werther,” as she reflects on her past and anticipates a reunion with the great author after forty years.
Readers will find a complex study of both characters, as Lotte engages in conversations with those in Weimar who knew Goethe, providing a multifaceted assessment of his genius. The book delves into themes of literary and historical significance, capturing the richness of German culture through its vivid portrayal of these figures. This edition invites readers to consider the interplay between personal memory and artistic legacy, enriching their understanding of both Goethe and the cultural context of his time.
Official synopsis Publisher
Thomas Mann, fascinated with the concept of genius and with the richness of German culture, found in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe the embodiment of the German culture hero. Mann’s novelistic biography of Goethe was first published in English in 1940. “Lotte in Weimar” is a vivid dual portrait–a complex study of Goethe and of Lotte, the still-vivacious woman who in her youth was the model for Charlotte in Goethe’s widely-read “The Sorrows of Young Werther,” Lotte’s thoughts, as she anticipates meeting Goethe again after forty years, and her conversations with those in Weimar who knew the great man, allow Mann to assess Goethe’s genius from many points of view. Hayden White’s fresh appraisal of the novel reveals its consonances with our own concerns.
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