Werther's True Romantic Heart example essay topic

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther is a Romantic work in the sense that it embodies the ideas of Romantic Primitivism. Romantic Primitivism celebrates "Dionysian spontaneity, the free play of genius... the simple, the untutored, the primitive, children, peasants, people of humble background or mentality". Romantic Primitivism upheld the idea that things such as those listed above were better left to nature, not to be improved upon. As Blake says, "Improvement makes strait roads, but the crooked roads without Improvement, are roads of Genius". (Perkins, pg 106) Geothe embodies these values in the character of Werther and these values can be seen through the judgments that Werther passes on his surroundings and his companions. In the opening pages of the book Werther is describing the Count von M.'s garden.

Through this description the reader can see the Romantic's love of "Dionysian spontaneity" and the natural, rural scene: The town itself is disagreeable, but on the other hand there is an inexpressible natural beauty all around. It was this that moved the late Count von M. to lay out a garden on one of these hill, which slope against each other in the most delightful and various ways and form the prettiest valleys. The garden is a simple one, and the moment one enters it one feels that it was designed not by some scientific gardener but by a feeling heart intending to take pleasure here. (Geothe, pg 26) An editor's note at the end of book goes on to say, in so many words, that the garden was not one of "rigid human dominance over nature, the control and geometrical regularity of the formal garden", but "was designed as a landscaped park in the English manner". (Geothe, pg 135) Another example of the Romantic's love of nature unaltered can be seen when Werther is relating the story of painting two young boys to Wilhelm. Werther tells Wilhelm that he tried to paint the scene as it was, "without putting into it anything whatsoever of my own".

After seeing how wonderfully his painting has turned out Werther states "This confirmed me in my resolve to keep to Nature alone in future. Only Nature has inexhaustible riches, and only Nature creates great artist". (Geothe, pg 32) This beautiful simplicity, for the Romantics, could be found not only in nature, but in people themselves. This simplicity is what inspired Werther to capture the scene of the two little boys sitting together in a painting. It is also what caused Werther to break social boundaries and approach the young servant girl at the spring. That he relates this story to Wilhelm shows how much Werther appreciated the simple nature of the girl: Recently I went to the spring and came upon a young servant girl who had set down her pitcher on the bottom-most step and was looking around to see if some companion would come help her lift it onto her head.

I went down and looked at her. - 'May I assist the young maid?' said I. - She blushed from top to toe. - 'Oh no, sir!' said she. - 'No standing on ceremony,' said I. - She set her headgear straight, and I helped her.

She thanked me and climbed the steps. (Geothe, pg 28) Werther relates a second meeting with a farm boy, his explanation for including the boy's description being "that [it] has prompted such lively interest" and nothing more. These meetings seem to hold Werther in a kind of awe due to some qualities within these people, which are their humbleness and their simplicity in both their lives and their education. Werther, on the other hand, dislikes those people who show only "an interest in the complex, sophisticated, academic and learned". Many of these people seem to be older gentlemen, such as the doctor who comes to examine Lotte's children. Werther's dislike of the doctor can be seen in as he describes the doctor's reaction to his playing with the children on the floor: The doctor is a pedantic jack-fool of a fellow who is forever folding the frills on his cuffs while he is talking and plucking forth some endlessly long ruffle, and considered my conduct beneath the dignity of sensible people; I could tell by his nose.

But I did not let it bother me, and while he held forth in his immensely rational way I rebuilt the card-houses the children had knocked down. (Geothe, pg 45) Werther's dislike of the rigidity of thinking, of the Neo-classicist's veneration of "the formal, the restrained, the complex and artificial, the academic and learned" shows itself again when Werther describes to Wilhelm the ambassador: He is the most punctilious oaf imaginable, doing everything step by step, meticulous as a maiden aunt, a man whom it is impossible to satisfy because he is never satisfied himself. I like to get on with my work, and once it is finished that is that; but he is perfectly capable of returning papers to me and saying: 'That is fine, but have another look through it, one can always find a better word or an apter particle. (Geothe, pg 74) Werther's dislike of the man and his ways finally lead Werther to quit his position and move on to other things. However, Werther can never seem to escape the people who embody the ideas and values of Neo-classicism, such as the ambassador, the prince, and even Albert, except in death. Werther is a true Romantic in that he found joy in nature and its simple, wild perfection, beauty and awe in a simple servant girl and a farmer boy, and that he despised all that upheld the rigidity, regularity and conformity found in Neo-classicism.

Werther even goes so far as to venture a guess as to why people follow the ideas of Neo-classicism when he writes: "Because, dear friends, on either bank dwell the cool, respectable gentlemen, whose summerhouses, tulip beds and cabbage patches would all be washed away, and who are therefore highly skilled in averting future dangers in good time, by damming and digging channels". (Geothe, pg 33) Werther's true Romantic heart can be seen when he says, "Every day we should remind ourselves that there is nothing we can do for our friends but to leave them their pleasures and to increase their happiness by enjoying it with them". (Geothe, pg 49) As Blake would say "Dip him in the river who loves water!" (Perkins, pg 105).