Goethe's Werther and the Delphine of Mme. de Staël

Abstract

Students of French and German literature, and particularly of the origins of French Romanticism, lay much stress on the so-called "Wertherfievre" which raged in France after the first translations of Goethe's Werther appeared; it seems to have made itself felt in every aspect of French leisure society. "Wertherisme" was seen even in the clothing styles; to it were attributed many suicides; and not the least important of the "wertherisme" is to be found in the literary productions considered offspring of Goethe's Storm and Stress novel. Among these works, Delphine, the early novel of Mme. De Stael, is generally cited.