TY - JOUR

T1 - Werther's Love

T2 - Representations of Suicide, Heroism, Masochism, and Voluntary Self-Divestiture

AU - Gratzke, Michael

PY - 2012/3

Y1 - 2012/3

N2 - This article examines discourses on suicide in Die Leiden des jungen Werthers in the context of representations of heroism, masochism, and strategies of 'un-becoming' such as Leo Bersani's concept of self-shattering desires and voluntary self-divestiture. It outlines the two imaginary families created in the novel. The first is based on matrilinearity incorporating God, Lotte's deceased mother, and Werther. The second family derives from the male bonding which occurs when the Amtmann and his sons rush to Werther's deathbed. Both families keep the pure potentiality of literature alive, thus undermining Goethe's intention to write a cautionary tale.

AB - This article examines discourses on suicide in Die Leiden des jungen Werthers in the context of representations of heroism, masochism, and strategies of 'un-becoming' such as Leo Bersani's concept of self-shattering desires and voluntary self-divestiture. It outlines the two imaginary families created in the novel. The first is based on matrilinearity incorporating God, Lotte's deceased mother, and Werther. The second family derives from the male bonding which occurs when the Amtmann and his sons rush to Werther's deathbed. Both families keep the pure potentiality of literature alive, thus undermining Goethe's intention to write a cautionary tale.

KW - Cultural studies

KW - Goethe

KW - Werther

KW - suicide

KW - heroism

KW - masochism

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84859446847&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1179/0959368311Z.0000000001

DO - 10.1179/0959368311Z.0000000001

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 81

SP - 26

EP - 38

JO - Publications of the English Goethe Society

JF - Publications of the English Goethe Society

SN - 0959-3683

IS - 1

ER -