Trigger warning: this article mentions suicide and mental illness. Reader discretion is advised.
Literature, when used to its full potential, could be classed as a powerful weapon. But can it really cause people to take their own lives? Only those that were alive at the time of the publication of the masterpiece that is the novel: “The sorrows of young Werther” ,written by literary genius Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1774, would be able to tell us the answer. It was and still to this day is a beautiful piece about an unfinished romance that somehow managed to cause an increase in suicides across continental Europe.
The novel itself is based around a series of letters written by a man named Werther addressed to his friend Wilhelm. In which, while staying in a fictional German village, Werther falls madly in love with a woman by the name of Charlotte who so happens to already be betrothed to a man many years her senior named Albert. Werther befriends the couple but soon leaves to live in Weimar in order to escape the pain and suicidal thoughts that are caused by their happiness. On his return to the village, Werther discovers that the couple have since married and he plans to take his own life. A plan which would be successful. On Christmas eve, Werther borrows two guns from Albert and shoots himself. However, his attempt ends badly, much alike his love life, when it takes twelve long hours for him to die.
The themes of “Young Werther”, including romantic disillusionment and unfulfillment, created an uproar in affection for Goethe’s work and really helped his career. With references of the Novel being made in other parts of literature such as Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”. The popularity of the epistolary novel even led to Werther merchandise, such as perfume and china. Even Werther’s outfit in the novel became famous, and its replicas were soon a part of fashion.
However, after the debut of the novel many European newspapers began to write articles documenting suicides which were supposedly inspired by Werther’s untimely end and the effect that Goethe’s words had on his audience. Examples of strong emotive language he used include quotes such as: “Adieu! I see no end to this misery but the grave.” and “How the simple song seizes me! And how she knows when to play it, often at a time when I would like to put a bullet through my head!” This then led to the novel being banned in Denmark, Italy and Leipzig. The clothing style was even stripped away from the Leipzig population as the novel’s contents became a cause for concern to authorities.
From the prohibition of the novel, the phenomenon, known as the “Werther effect” was born. Later on, this was renamed or classed as suicide contagion. In which: a high media presence on a suicide can cause others to take their own lives in the ways inspired by a fictional character or an actual human being.
It is said that these deaths surrounding these traction gaining pieces, weren’t a direct response to the actual novel or work but instead is a response to the romanticisation or aesthetic created around the death of the character. Which could inadvertently motivate vulnerable people who may have related to the character’s experiences and emotions, causing them to make rash decisions about their life.
Although, some argue that these deaths had nothing to do with Goethe’s work and that all these “Werther inspired love-deaths” were simply coincidental to match with the timings of the book’s publication and debut.
What do you think?
For all the latest Education News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
