The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Youth of Goethe, by Peter Hume Brown

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Title: The Youth of Goethe

Author: Peter Hume Brown

Release Date: November 11, 2006 [EBook #19753]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE YOUTH OF GOETHE ***

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THE YOUTH OF GOETHE

BY P. HUME BROWN, LL.D., F.B.A.

LONDON
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W.
1913

TO

THE VISCOUNT HALDANE OF CLOAN, LORD CHANCELLOR OF GREAT BRITAIN.

MY DEAR CHANCELLOR,--AS THE "ONLY BEGETTER" OF THIS BOOK, IT SEEMS
ALMOST OBLIGATORY THAT IT SHOULD BE ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR NAME.

THE AUTHOR.

_GOETHE'S BIOGRAPHIE._

"Anfangs ist es ein Punkt der leise zum Kreise sich oeffnet,
Aber, wachsend, umfasst dieser am Ende die Welt."

FRIEDRICH HEBBEL.

"In the beginning a point that soft to the circle expandeth,
But the circle at length, growing, enclaspeth the world."

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

EARLY YEARS IN FRANKFORT

1749--1765

PAGE

GOETHE'S BIRTHPLACE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON HIM 1
PERIOD OF HIS BIRTH 4
HIS FATHER 6
HIS MOTHER 8
HIS SISTER 10
FAMILY FRIENDS 11
HIS EDUCATION 12
RELIGIOUS INFLUENCES 14
THE _SEVEN YEARS' WAR_ 18
FRENCH OCCUPATION OF FRANKFORT 19
GOETHE'S FIRST LOVE 21
DESTINED FOR THE STUDY OF LAW 23
THE BOY THE FATHER OF THE MAN 25
HIS CHARACTER AND EARLY TASTES 27

CHAPTER II

STUDENT IN LEIPZIG

OCTOBER, 1765--SEPTEMBER, 1768

GOES TO LEIPZIG 29
HIS WILD LIFE THERE 29
SOCIETY O