The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is mentioned twice in Shelley’s Frankenstein. While the second instance, in which the monster says he stole the book and read it (page 144), mentions the book by name, the first is much less blatant. On page 81, Victor says that “[he] was tempted to plunge into the silent lake, that the waters might close over me and my calamities forever.” Suicide was not common at the time Goethe wrote and yet the protagonist of his novel ended his own life, sparking a wave of copycat suicides – now also known as the Werther Effect. This is what Victor was alluding to in his contemplation of suicide, as suicide carried an even larger social stigma in Shelley’s time than at present - a man as concerned with appearances as Victor would undoubtedly know this and consider it in his decision-making process. To be considering ending his own life in such a way speak to his desperation within his situation.
Sources:
"Copycat Suicide." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 23 Aug. 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_suicide.
"The Sorrows of Young Werther." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 23 Aug. 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sorrows_of_Young_Werther.
“The Sorrows of Young Mike” recently published as a parody of “The Sorrows of Young Werther” by Goethe. I loved the aspects that were touched on in the updated version. John Zelazny, the author of the parody, is in no way hiding from the original and makes this very clear. It is a marvelously done parody and takes on similar themes of class, religion and suicide. I love the way both books reflect on each other and think everyone interested in Werther should check out “The Sorrows of Young Mike.”
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