Goethe: The pop star of his time?

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's novella "The Sorrows of Young Werther" was a worldwide breakthrough for the 25-year-old when it was published 250 years ago. 

It was rumored that the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte read the novel seven times and spoke of nothing else when he finally met Goethe. 

The dark take on doomed love went somewhat viral for its time, striking a chord with a whole generation of young people.

Young men struck by Werther 'fever'

Werther is the novel's protagonist — he is only referred to by his surname — who falls in love with Lotte, who is engaged. 

As Werther's feelings for Lotte deepen, she remains faithful to her fiance. Ultimately Werther finds no escape from this obsession and resorts to taking his own life.

Goethe was a member of the German "Sturm und Drang" literary movement. Meaning "storm and stress" in English, this late 18th century movement among others focused on the individual as well as intense expressions of emotions.

"Werther" tapped into the zeitgeist of many young men in particular who empathized and identified with the protagonist. This was expressed, among other things, by imitating the fashion described in the novel. 

Heinz Drügh, professor of 18th and 19th century literary history at Frankfurt's Goethe University, says that people tried to dress like Werther — a blue jacket and yellow waistcoat, for example — even if his fahion "was quite unusual" for the time.  

This obsession with the ill-fated character is sometimes referred to as "Werther fever." Drügh describes Werther as a "pan-European phenomenon," but it is also still very popular in East Asia today.   

Can a novel still have such a great influence on society today? "I think the strong identifying experiences today come more from films and music than from literature," explains Drügh.  

Werther "opened up something new," he says, adding that Goethe used it to initiate a new way of thinking. From today's perspective, Goethe is perhaps something of a "pop star," Drügh adds "because the kind of identification with this text was as strong as it could actually be with pop culture matters today." 

Goethe was taken too literally

However, the influence of Werther also had its downsides. 

After the novella's publication, there were a number of suicides associated with the work, a phenomenon that has come to be known as the "Werther effect."

Goethe himself published a second, more extensive, version of the novel that was intended to help readers distance themselves from Werther.   

The term "Werther effect" was coined by sociologist David Philipps in 1974 to explain how romantizised depictions of suicide in the media can trigger copycat behaviour, especially among young people.

Who are today's role models?

But the classic role model is also becoming more ill-defined.

Thanks to social media, mentors for young people occupy "sub-segments that are no longer tangible," Switzerland-based psychologist and psychotherapist, Lothar Janssen tells DW. 

Janssen speaks of "mini role models" on the internet such as those who share how they deal with mental illness on social media. They reach a broad public who can identify with them through largely unfiltered social media.   

Experts emphasize that it is important to deal openly with mental illness and suicide. That's why the correct treatment of the topic in the media is crucial. In order to avoid the "Werther effect," care must be taken not to romanticize mental illness and suicide. 

Role models still in demand 

Pop stars are not completely off the table, however. The US singer Taylor Swift, for example, comes very close to the classic role model. 

A community has formed around her in which the fans feel they are "in good hands and (feel) good," explains psychologist Lothar Janssen.

Although Goethe had to relinquish his pop star status, both the author and his works — including "The Sorrows of Young Werther" — remain famous to this day. 

This article was originally written in German.