The Virtues of Goethe in the World of Today

Today, the novel stands as the opera of the literary mind, a vast chasm of possibility for development and investigation. Born into the time and country of great musical luminaries such as C.P.E. Bach, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a German purveyor of Romanticism, lived a life focused on his own version of art with the construction of epic poetry, prose, lyric drama, and of course, the novel. His first one, The Sorrows of Young Werther, written in 1774, came into existence at a time when the aesthetic Sturm und Drang (Storm and Stress) movement wielded its full cultural force both in the novel genre and in music with Bach's Symphony in E minor, Wq. 178. Here, we find a movement where the drama and conflict of social expectations at times coupled with unrequited love drove men to wear their heart on their sleeve in self-flagellating sorrow.

For Goethe, this partially autobiographical account immediately resonated with the public and won him critical and popular acclaim. The Sorrows of Young Werther tells a tale a young man who puts his pious virtues before his carnal desires and ultimately ends up killing himself in order to save another soul. In today's world, the novel has taken on a new significance beyond that of virtuous behavior to reflect a more hedonistic society. In spite of such changes, the careful thinker would be wise to compare how the novel of the twenty-first century models a new understanding of the self, one that departs from eighteenth century notions of virtue.

In exploring these differences between the virtues of yesterday and the models of today, one must first examine what developments led to Goethe's blatant expression of heartache and desire. Goethe himself appears to have a clear understanding of the process of the creative genius, openly exploring the metaphor of a river. In it, the road of a civilized man draws the clear path to acceptable mental facilities by which one can do no wrong, even commit no crime as a result of pristine upbringing. His actions will be purely within the acceptable realms of refined behavior. However, Goethe's double-edged sword lies in the predictability and even apathy in passing through this bourgeois lifestyle. The desire for stability and consistency resists all manners of genius in exchange for a life predictable in nature. Such a choice is convenient. There will be no flooding of the banks. Meanwhile, the river of genius laps at its banks waiting to sweep away the civilized man with the courage to employ his socially adept mental facilities, jump into the river, and swim (Goethe, 1989, Book I May 26). This is the paradigm of Goethe.

Today's novel values a set of concepts revolving around unrestrained self-expression and the acts of the heretic. While acting within normal social boundaries to interpret the music of C.P.E. Bach may lead to critical acclaim, it will not create an impression in general society, much less social media. The restrained virtues of yesterday have passed away, and the surprise of unrestrained pleasure lies in wait to capture our attention.

The works of J.K. Rowling and Paul Bowles, for example, represent a new paradigm that spurs the imagination to think of new worlds with exciting possibilities, unforeseen dangers, and brilliant ideas that would be considered unacceptable in "normal" society. There is magic and trickery in the halls of Hogwarts, self-seeking discoveries in travels to northern Africa. The memorable novel of today no longer features authors who create protagonists bending to societal pressures around them; rather, the celebrated authors of current times recognize a world that must be acted upon. The valor of self-deprecating virtue is passé, and the possibilities of grabbing life and shaping it in our own image remain just within reach, tantalizingly extended for us to grab and hold on to in the genre of the novel. Here, we find a new understanding of ourselves that may dare to dream, to openly push against the bourgeois normalcy of the old world, and create a world in our own image. Goethe's model invites us to recognize the rules; the new world invites us to recreate them.

Reference

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. The sorrows of young Werther. London, England: Penguin, 1989. Print.