Egmont

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 1749-1832Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.0

Word count: 169K words
Chapters: 17

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Egmont by Johann Wolfgang von GoetheAuthor: Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 1749-1832,Language: German, Class: PT: Language and Literatures: Germanic, Scandinavian, and Icelandic literatures, Release Date: Apr 1, 2000

Editor's review

Egmont is a historical tragedy by Goethe set against the sixteenth-century Dutch revolt against Spanish rule, centered on the fate of Count Egmont and interweaving political oppression, individual freedom, and a love story. The work reflects Goethe's thinking on historical figures and power relations; its language has dramatic tension, and the characters' monologues and dialogue combine lyricism with reflection. This edition is a German public-domain ebook released by Project Gutenberg, suited to German learners and literary researchers engaging directly with the original. Readers may focus on the many facets of Egmont's character and on how Goethe balances historical fact with artistic invention. As it is a play, it is advisable to combine scene visualization or consult performance materials to understand staging and character relationships.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers learning German who wish to read literary originals
Researchers interested in Goethe's dramatic works
Literary readers who enjoy historical tragedy and political subjects
Theater enthusiasts who need to understand the German dramatic tradition

Not a good fit for

Readers with weak German who are unwilling to use reference works
Readers who prefer light, entertaining reading
Beginners unfamiliar with the play form

Reading tips

First learn the historical background of the Dutch revolt against Spain, then read the text.
Read act by act and scene by scene, summarizing each scene's conflict in a few sentences afterward.
Read the monologues aloud to feel the rhythm and emotion in Goethe's language.
Relate the work to Goethe's life and the era of its composition to understand his expression of historical views.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a play?

Egmont is a historical tragedy written by Goethe in dramatic form, advancing the narrative through dialogue and scenes rather than novelistic narration. Readers need to follow the act and scene structure to understand the plot development.

How difficult is reading the German original?

The language has the characteristics of eighteenth-century German literature, and its sentence structures and vocabulary pose some challenge for modern readers; it suits readers with intermediate or higher German who are willing to use dictionaries and annotations. Beginners may first read a Chinese translation to understand the plot.

Does this edition include annotations or an introduction?

This edition is a public-domain ebook released by Project Gutenberg, offering mainly the German original and generally without scholarly annotations or an introduction. Readers who need deeper understanding may consult separate research materials or an annotated edition.

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About the author

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 1749-1832 Author

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) is a highly important writer in the history of German literature, whose work spans poetry, fiction and drama. The library holds 75 of his works, including the tragedy Faust: Der Tragödie erster Teil in several editions and translations, the epistolary novel Die Leiden des jungen Werther — Band 2, and the play Iphigeneia Tauriissa. Faust centers on a scholar's pact with the devil, combining philosophical reflection with poetic language; Die Leiden des jungen Werther uses the epistolary form to portray the conflict between personal feeling and social constraint. Goethe's works cover a wide range of subjects and combine lyricism with philosophical depth, exerting a profound influence on German literature and later European writing. Public information is limited, so biographical details are omitted here.