Werther Fever

E627861

18th-century cultural movement cultural phenomenon literary craze

Werther Fever was a late 18th-century cultural craze in which young people across Europe passionately imitated the melancholic hero of Goethe’s novel *The Sorrows of Young Werther*, influencing fashion, behavior, and even reported copycat suicides.

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Statements (50)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	18th-century cultural movement ⓘ cultural phenomenon ⓘ literary craze ⓘ
allegedlyCaused	imitative suicides among young readers ⓘ
associatedWithAuthor	Johann Wolfgang von Goethe NERFINISHED ⓘ
associatedWithWork	"The Sorrows of Young Werther" NERFINISHED ⓘ
culturalContext	transition from Enlightenment rationalism to Romantic emotionalism ⓘ
documentedIn	contemporary letters and diaries ⓘ early literary criticism of Goethe ⓘ
hasCause	publication of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's novel "The Sorrows of Young Werther" ⓘ
hasCharacteristic	idealization of suicide as a tragic, sentimental act ⓘ imitation of Werther's melancholic behavior ⓘ intense emotional identification with the fictional character Werther ⓘ romanticization of unrequited love ⓘ
hasEffect	debates about the social impact of literature ⓘ moral panic among authorities and clergy ⓘ reports of copycat suicides inspired by Werther ⓘ spread of sentimentalism among European youth ⓘ
hasLanguageContext	primarily German-speaking Europe, then wider European translations ⓘ
hasLocation	England NERFINISHED ⓘ Europe NERFINISHED ⓘ France NERFINISHED ⓘ German-speaking Europe NERFINISHED ⓘ Italy NERFINISHED ⓘ Scandinavia NERFINISHED ⓘ
influencedBehavior	adopting sentimental, tearful manners ⓘ carrying copies of "The Sorrows of Young Werther" ⓘ posing for portraits dressed as Werther ⓘ writing letters in Werther-like confessional style ⓘ
influencedBy	Sturm und Drang movement NERFINISHED ⓘ
influencedFashion	blue frock coat ⓘ knee-breeches similar to Werther's clothing ⓘ yellow waistcoat ⓘ
involvesAgeGroup	students and educated youth ⓘ young adults ⓘ
ledTo	bans on the novel in parts of Italy ⓘ bans on the novel in some German states ⓘ censorship of "The Sorrows of Young Werther" in some regions ⓘ
peakTime	1770s ⓘ 1780s ⓘ
perceivedAs	dangerous by some contemporary moralists ⓘ expression of youthful sensitivity and genius by admirers ⓘ
relatedConcept	Romanticism NERFINISHED ⓘ Sturm und Drang NERFINISHED ⓘ Werther effect NERFINISHED ⓘ
startTime	1774 ⓘ
studiedIn	cultural history of the late Enlightenment ⓘ history of reading and reception studies ⓘ history of suicide contagion ⓘ
timePeriod	late 18th century ⓘ

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

The Sorrows of Young Werther → inspiredPhenomenon → Werther Fever ⓘ