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Goethe Institute New Zealand
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as treatises on botany, anatomy, and colour. He is widely regarded as the greatest and most influential writer in the German language, his work having a profound and wide-ranging influence on Western literary, political, and philosophical thought from the late 18th century to the present day.. Goethe took up residence in Weimar in November 1775 following the success of his first novel, '' The Sorrows of Young Werther'' (1774). He was ennobled by the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, Karl August, in 1782. Goethe was an early participant in the '' Sturm und Drang'' literary movement. During his first ten years in Weimar, Goethe became a member of the Duke's privy council (1776–1785), sat on the war and highway commissions, oversaw the reopening ...
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Geheimrat
''Geheimrat'' was the title of the highest advising officials at the Imperial, royal or princely courts of the Holy Roman Empire, who jointly formed the ''Geheimer Rat'' reporting to the ruler. The term remained in use during subsequent monarchic reigns in German-speaking areas of Europe until the end of the First World War. At its origin the literal meaning of the word in German was 'trusted advisor' - the word "geheim" (secret) implying that such an advisor could be trusted with the Monarch's secrets (similar to "secretary" in English being linguistically related to "secret"). The English-language equivalent is Privy Councillor. The office contributing to the state's politics and legislation had its roots in the age of absolutism from the 17th century onward, when a governmental administration by a dependent bureaucracy was established similar to the French '' Conseil du Roi''. A precursor was the '' Reichshofrat'', a judicial body established by Emperor Maximilian I of Habsbu ...
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The Sorrows Of Young Werther
''The Sorrows of Young Werther'' (; german: Die Leiden des jungen Werthers) is a 1774 epistolary novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, which appeared as a revised edition in 1787. It was one of the main novels in the ''Sturm und Drang'' period in German literature, and influenced the later Romanticism, Romantic movement. Goethe, aged 24 at the time, finished ''Werther'' in five and a half weeks of intensive writing in January to March 1774. It instantly placed him among the foremost international literary celebrities and was among the best known of his works. Plot summary Most of ''The Sorrows of Young Werther'', a story about a young man's extreme response to unrequited love, is presented as a collection of letters written by Werther, a young artist of a sensitive and passionate temperament, to his friend Wilhelm. These give an intimate account of his stay in the fictional village of Wahlheim (based on , near Wetzlar), whose peasants have enchanted him with ...
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Johann Caspar Goethe
Johann Caspar Goethe (29 July 1710 – 25 May 1782) was a wealthy German jurist and royal councillor to the Kaiser of the Holy Roman Empire. His son, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, is considered one of the greatest German poets and authors of all time. Biography Johann Caspar Goethe was born in Frankfurt in 1710 as the youngest son of Friedrich Georg Goethe and Cornelia Walther. Between 1725 and 1730 Goethe attended the Casimirianum gynmnasium in Coburg, after which he studied law, first in Giessen and for four years from 1731 in Leipzig. In 1738 he was awarded a doctorate of both laws in Giessen. Goethe then worked at the Reichskammergericht in Wetzlar. He became acquainted with the workings of the Perpetual Diet in Regensburg as well as the Aulic Council in Vienna, both important institutions of the Holy Roman Empire. Around 1740, Goethe undertook an educational tour of Italy about which he wrote a travel book in Italian titled ''"Viaggo per l'Italia"'' ("My Journey Through I ...
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Catharina Elisabeth Goethe
Catharina Elisabeth Goethe, born Catharina Elisabeth Textor, (19 February 1731 – 13 September 1808) was the mother of German playwright and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and his sister Cornelia Schlosser. She was also known by the nickname Frau Aja and the title Frau Rat. Biography Catharina Elisabeth was born to Johann Wolfgang Textor (1693–1771) and Anna Margaretha Lindheimer (1711–1783) on 19 February 1731. Johann Wolfgang was a wealthy lawyer involved with Frankfurt politics. She married Johann Caspar Goethe, on 20 August 1748, after which she moved into his house on Großer Hirschgraben. Three months later, she became pregnant aged 18, and her son Johann Wolfgang was born at the house on 28 August 1749. Goethe was soon pregnant again, and gave birth to her second child, Cornelia, on 7 December 1750. 5 more children followed, but none survived to adulthood. After the death of Georg Adolf in 1761, the Goethes did not try for any more children; each birth posed a ...
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Licentiate (degree)
A licentiate (abbreviated Lic.) is an academic degree present in many countries, representing different educational levels. It may be similar to a master's degree when issued by pontifical universities and other universities in Europe, Latin America, and Syria. The term is also used for a person who holds this degree. Etymology The term derives from Latin ''licentia'', "freedom" (from Latin ''licēre'', "to be allowed"), which is applied in the phrases ''licentia docendi'' (also ''licentia doctorandi''), meaning "permission to teach", and ''licentia ad practicandum'' (also ''licentia practicandi''), meaning "permission to practice", signifying someone who holds a certificate of competence to practise a profession. History The Gregorian Reform of the Catholic Church led to an increased focus on the liberal arts in episcopal schools during the 11th and 12th centuries, with Pope Gregory VII ordering all bishops to make provisions for the teaching of liberal arts. Chancellor ...
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University Of Strasbourg
The University of Strasbourg (french: Université de Strasbourg, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. The French university traces its history to the earlier German-language ''Universität Straßburg'', which was founded in 1538, and was divided in the 1970s into three separate institutions: Louis Pasteur University, Marc Bloch University, and Robert Schuman University. On 1 January 2009, the fusion of these three universities reconstituted a united University of Strasbourg. With as many as 19 Nobel laureates, and two Fields Medal winners, the university is ranked among the best in the League of European Research Universities. History The university emerged from a Lutheran humanist German Gymnasium, founded in 1538 by Johannes Sturm in the Free Imperial City of Strassburg. It was transformed to a university in 1621 (german: Universität Straßburg) and elevated to the ranks of a royal u ...
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Leipzig University
Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Elector of Saxony and his brother William II, Margrave of Meissen, and originally comprised the four scholastic faculties. Since its inception, the university has engaged in teaching and research for over 600 years without interruption. Famous alumni include Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Leopold von Ranke, Friedrich Nietzsche, Robert Schumann, Richard Wagner, Tycho Brahe, Georgius Agricola, Angela Merkel and ten Nobel laureates associated with the university. History Founding and development until 1900 The university was modelled on the University of Prague, from which the German-speaking faculty members withdrew to Leipzig after the Jan Hus crisis and the Decree of Kutná Hora. ...
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August Von Goethe
August von Goethe, portrait by Julie Gräfin Egloffstein Julius August Walther von Goethe (25 December 1789 – 27 October 1830) was the only one of the five children of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Christiane Vulpius to survive into adulthood. He was born in Weimar and served at the court of Karl August, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. He studied law 1808-1809 at the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg. After that brief period, his primary employment was as a kind of personal secretary to his father. He accompanied him on his frequent trips and kept his travel diary. Like his parents, he had a penchant for alcohol, but unlike them, he had a tendency to be melancholic. At the age of 27, he married Ottilie von Pogwisch (1796–1872) on 17 Jun 1817 in Weimar. Although the marriage proved difficult, the couple had three children: Walther von Goethe, Wolfgang Maximilian von Goethe (1820–1883) and Alma Sedina Henriette Cornelia von Goethe (1827–1844). In 1830, he un ...
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Christiane Vulpius
Johanna Christiana Sophie Vulpius von Goethe (1 June 1765 – 6 June 1816) was the longtime lover and later wife of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Biography Vulpius spent her childhood in ''Luthergasse'', one of the oldest parts of Weimar. Her paternal ancestors had been academics for several generations. On her mother's side, she came from a family of artisans. Her father, Johann Friedrich Vulpius, who worked as an archivist (i.e., file copyist) in Weimar, had studied law for a few semesters but then dropped out of college. His position was poorly paid, and the family lived in difficult circumstances with six children. Her father sacrificed everything to enable his oldest son Christian August to pursue his education; he would grow up to become a writer of popular historical novels and plays. After her father got fired from his job, Vulpius was forced to work as a maid. She was employed in a small Weimar cleaning workshop owned by Caroline Bertuch, in a house owned by her brother ...
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West–östlicher Divan
' (; ''West–Eastern Diwan'') is a diwan, or collection of lyrical poems, by the German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It was inspired by the Persian poet Hafez. Composition ''West–Eastern Diwan'' was written between 1814 and 1819, the year when it was first published. It was inspired by Goethe's correspondence with Marianne von Willemer and the translation of Hafez' poems by the orientalist Joseph von Hammer. An expanded version was printed in 1827. It is part of Goethe's late work and the last great cycle of poetry he wrote. The initial issue consisted of twelve books: * Book of the Singer (Moganni Nameh) * Book of Hafiz (Hafis Nameh) * Book of Love (Uschk Nameh) * Book of Reflection (Tefkir Nameh) * Book of Ill Humour (Rendsch Nameh) * Book of Maxims (Hikmet Nameh) * Book of Timur (Timur Nameh) * Book of Zuleika (Suleika Nameh) * Book of the Cupbearer (Saki Nameh) * Book of Parables (Mathal Nameh) * Book of the Parsees (Parsi Nameh) * Book of Paradise (Chuld Nameh) ...
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Italian Journey
''Italian Journey'' (in the German original: ) is Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's report on his travels to Italy from 1786 to 1788 that was published in 1816 & 1817. The book is based on Goethe's diaries and is smoothed in style, lacks the spontaneity of his diary report and is augmented with the addition of afterthoughts and reminiscences. At the beginning of September 1786, when Goethe had just turned 37, he "slipped away", in his words, from his duties as Privy Councillor in the Duchy of Weimar, from a long platonic affair with a court lady and from his immense fame as the author of the novel ''The Sorrows of Young Werther'' and the stormy play ''Götz von Berlichingen'', and he took what became a licensed leave of absence. He was able to persuade his employer, Duke Carl August, to agree to a paid absence. By May 1788 he had travelled to Italy via Innsbruck and the Brenner Pass and visited Lake Garda, Verona, Vicenza, Venice, Bologna, Rome and Alban Hills, Naples and Sic ...
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Theory Of Colours
''Theory of Colours'' (german: Zur Farbenlehre, links=no) is a book by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe about the poet's views on the nature of colours and how these are perceived by humans. It was published in German in 1810 and in English in 1840. The book contains detailed descriptions of phenomena such as coloured shadows, refraction, and chromatic aberration. The work originated in Goethe's occupation with painting and mainly exerted an influence on the arts (Philipp Otto Runge, J. M. W. Turner, the Pre-Raphaelites, Hilma af Klint, Wassily Kandinsky). The book is a successor to two short essays entitled "Contributions to Optics". Although Goethe's work was rejected by some physicists, a number of philosophers and physicists have concerned themselves with it, including Thomas Johann Seebeck, Arthur Schopenhauer (see: '' On Vision and Colors''), Hermann von Helmholtz, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Werner Heisenberg, Kurt Gödel, and Mitchell Feigenbaum. Goethe's book ...
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