Faust is a tragic play in two parts by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, usually known in English as Faust, Part One and Faust, Part Two. Although rarely staged in its entirety, it is the play with the largest audience numbers on German-language stages. Faust is considered by many to be Goethe's magnum opus and the greatest work of German literature.The earliest forms of the work, known as the Urfaust, were developed between 1772 and 1775; however, the details of that development are not...

This carefully curated anthology brings together a broad selection of timeless works in one digital edition. Readers can discover essential voices, memorable stories and enduring ideas across a rich variety of literary styles. Prepared for comfortable continuous reading, this collection is ideal for exploring classic literature or returning to lasting favorites.

How happy I am that I am gone! My dear friend, what a thing is the heart of man! To leave you, from whom I have been inseparable, whom I love so dearly, and yet to feel happy! I know you will forgive me. Have not other attachments been specially appointed by fate to torment a head like mine? Poor Leonora! and yet I was not to blame. Was it my fault, that, whilst the peculiar charms of her sister afforded me an agreeable entertainment, a passion for me was engendered in her feeble heart? An...

The definitive English version of three landmark works of world literatureContaining three of Goethe’s major prose works, this volume explores a range of themes: unfulfilled love, infidelity, divorce, tragic love, fantasy, and moral rebirth. One of Goethe’s best-known works, The Sorrows of Young Werther, explores the extremes of the subjective experience through the novel’s depiction of a sensitive young man caught up in a love impossible to fulfill. In

A scholar who has read everything and knows nothing worth knowing signs his soul away for one moment worth holding on to — and Mephistopheles takes him from the study to the witches' kitchen, the drinking cellar and the Walpurgis Night, and to Margaret, who pays for the bargain. Goethe began Faust in his twenties and published the first part at fifty-eight, carrying it with him through a whole working life. Bayard Taylor's translation keeps the original metres — the rhyme and the rough com...

A scholar who has read everything and knows nothing worth knowing signs his soul away for one moment worth holding on to — and Mephistopheles takes him from the study to the witches' kitchen, the drinking cellar and the Walpurgis Night, and to Margaret, who pays for the bargain. Goethe began Faust in his twenties and published the first part at fifty-eight, carrying it with him through a whole working life. Bayard Taylor's translation keeps the original metres — the rhyme and the rough com...

The most comprehensive one-volume collection of Goethe's writings ever published in EnglishThe Essential Goethe is the most comprehensive and representative one-volume collection of Goethe's writings ever published in English. It provides English-language readers easier access than ever before to the widest range of work by one of the greatest writers in world history. Goethe’s work as playwright, poet, novelist, and autobiographer is fully represented. In...

These are the letters of Werther, a young artist of highly sensitive and passionate temperament, sent to his friend Wilhelm. In these letters Werther gives an intimate account of his stay in the village Wahlheim. He is enchanted by the peasants there and falls instantly in love with Charlotte. Charlotte is however already engaged.

In this autobiography, Goethe recounts his early years in Frankfurt, his education, and the influences that shaped his literary and philosophical pursuits. He discusses his experiences in Weimar, where he became a key figure in the literary and cultural life of Germany, engaging with notable contemporaries such as Friedrich Schiller. Goethe's narrative is marked by a deep exploration of his inner life, his relationships, and his evolving understanding of art and nature.The autobiography is...

"Faust" tells the story of a scholar named Heinrich Faust who is dissatisfied with his life and seeks deeper knowledge and meaning. Feeling disillusioned with his academic pursuits, Faust makes a pact with the devil, Mephistopheles. In exchange for his soul, Faust agrees to serve Mephistopheles and experience worldly pleasures and power.The play explores the themes of ambition, human desires, and the search for knowledge and fulfillment. Through the character of Faust, Goethe delves into t...

The original Harvard Classics Collection contains 51 volumes of the essential works of world literature, showing the progress of man from antics to modern age. In this edition, the original collection is supplemented with the 20 volume Harvard Shelf of Fiction, a selection of the greatest works of fiction.Content:The Harvard Classics:V. 1: Franklin, Woolman & PennV. 2: Plato, Epictetus & Marcus AureliusV. 3: Bacon, Milton, BrowneV. 4: John Milton

What lies in wait at the nexus of heartbreak and unrequited love? In teasing out the answer to this question, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe produced The Sorrows of Young Werther, one of history’s first bestsellers and the book that would propel Goethe to celebrity status and the heights of the Sturm and Drang movement that defined Germany’s literary scene during the late 1700s.The novel follows Werther, a young and sensitive artist, through his letters writte...