Early life
Goethe's father, Johann Caspar Goethe, lived with his family in a large house (today the Goethe House) in Frankfurt, then a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire. Though he had … See more

As to what I have done as a poet,... I take no pride in it... But that in my century I am the only person who knows the truth in the difficult science of … See more

Many of Goethe's works, especially Faust, the Roman Elegies, and the Venetian Epigrams, depict erotic passions and acts. For instance, in Faust, the first use of Faust's power after … See more

Goethe had a great effect on the nineteenth century. In many respects, he was the originator of many ideas which later became widespread. He produced volumes of poetry, … See more

Overview
The most important of Goethe's works produced before he went to Weimar were Götz von Berlichingen (1773), … See more

Goethe was a freethinker who believed that one could be inwardly Christian without following any of the Christian churches, many of whose central teachings he firmly opposed, sharply … See more

• The Life of Goethe by George Henry Lewes
• Goethe: The History of a Man by Emil Ludwig
• Goethe by Georg Brandes. Authorized translation from the Danish (2nd ed. 1916) by Allen W. Porterfield, New York, Crown publishers, 1936. "Crown edition, … See more