A masterpiece of European fantasy, The Sorrows of Young Werther is the classic story of Sturm und Drang that expresses the anguish and tragedy of youth. The acclaimed translator Stanley Corngold brings passion and precision to Goethe's timeless work on obsessive love and madness in this wonderful new rendition. The text is accompanied by the translator's introduction and is fully annotated. Goethe's themes, such as mutual love, the pain of rejection, deep despair, and their tragic consequences, are as relevant today as when the work was first published in 1774. This highly influential novel was bought, printed, read, exported, and imitated throughout Europe, and what Goethe called "rockets of fire" continue to burn through the centuries, influencing, among others, Thomas Mann and Franz Kafka. The reader's understanding and appreciation are enhanced by the inclusion of a rich selection of Goethe's letters and diary entries, as well as an autobiographical excerpt and satirical texts. The "Criticism" section gathers seven of the most influential essays written about The Sorrows of Young Werther over the past fifty years. Contributors include Harry Steinhauer, Roland Barthes, R. Ellis Dye, David Wellbery, Hans Rudolf Vaget, Dirk von Petersdorff, and Christian Frey and David Martyn. There is also a Chronology and Selected Bibliography.