The Goethe Society of North America (GSNA) was founded in December 1979 in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
as a
non-profit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
dedicated to the encouragement of research on
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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 t ...
(1749–1832) and his age.
The Goethe Society has allied organization status with the
Modern Language Association (MLA), the
American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies
The American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ASECS) is an academic society for humanities research related to the "long" eighteenth century, from the later seventeenth through the early nineteenth centuries. ASECS was established in 1969, ...
(ASECS), and the
German Studies Association (GSA).
Book Series and Yearbook
The Goethe Society sponsors a book series, "New Studies in the 'Age of Goethe'" published by
Bucknell University
Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineering ...
Press. The book series aims to publish one or two volumes per year, focusing on the “Age of Goethe” in relation
to the fields of literature, history (including art history and
history of science), philosophy, art, music, or politics.
Since 1982 the Goethe Society has published the ''Goethe Yearbook'', which is composed mainly of research, articles, and an extensive reviews section. The ''Yearbook'' aims above all to encourage and publish original English-language contributions to the understanding of Goethe and other authors of the Goethezeit, while also welcoming contributions from scholars around the world. The book review section seeks to evaluate a wide selection of recent publications on the period
which has become a respected organ of eighteenth-century studies in diverse disciplines and which is recognized as a vital compendium of current research in its articles and its extensive review section. The ''Goethe Yearbook'' is distributed free to all paid-up members of the GSNA
References
Literary societies
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Clubs and societies in the United States
{{lit-org-stub