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Elective Affinities: A Novel (Oxford World's Classics) 1st Edition, Kindle Edition

by J. W. von Goethe (Author), David Constantine (Author, Translator) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 74 ratings
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In Elective Affinities Goethe conducts an experiment with the lives of people who are living badly. Charlotte and Eduard, aristocracts with little to occupy them, invite Ottilie and the Captain into their lives; against morality, good sense, and conscious volition all four are drawn into relationships as inexorably as if they were substances in a chemical equation.

The novel asks whether we have free will or not; more disturbingly, it confronts its characters with the monstrous consequences of their repression of any real life in themselves.

Goethe wrote Elective Affinities when he was sixty and long established as Germany's literary giant. He remained an uneasy and scandalous figure, none the less, and readers of Elective Affinities were profoundly disturbed by its penetrating study of marriage and passion.
ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
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  1. ISBN-13
    978-0199555369
  2. Edition
    1st
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    OUP Oxford
  5. Publication date
    February 4, 1999
  6. Part of series
    Oxford World's Classics
  7. Language
    English
  8. File size
    1237 KB
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

'as a study of marital relations and adultery it is strangely topical, with a pitiless psychological insight which is close to Laclos and the French school' Brian Fallon, Irish Times'David Constantine has struck a readable tone that sets the novel in its time without pastiche. Thanks to the fluidity of Constantine's prose, Goethe's story succeeds .... in fascinating and moving us. Constantine has caught the crispness of Goethe's descriptive language. ' Albert Manguel, Observer'... superbly translated' Nicholas Boyle Journal of European Studies, XXIV (1994)

About the Author

David Constantine is a Fellow in German at The Queen's College, Oxford. He is a poet (published by Bloodaxe) and translator as well as being an Oxford academic.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005RBUC6E
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ OUP Oxford; 1st edition (February 4, 1999)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 4, 1999
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1237 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 273 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 74 ratings

About the author

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Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (/ˈgɜː(r)tə/; German: [ˈjoːhan ˈvɔlfɡaŋ ˈɡøːtə] ( listen); 28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German writer and statesman. His body of work includes epic and lyric poetry written in a variety of metres and styles; prose and verse dramas; memoirs; an autobiography; literary and aesthetic criticism; treatises on botany, anatomy, and colour; and four novels. In addition, numerous literary and scientific fragments, more than 10,000 letters, and nearly 3,000 drawings by him exist. A literary celebrity by the age of 25, Goethe was ennobled by the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, Karl August in 1782 after first taking up residence there in November 1775 following the success of his first novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther. He was an early participant in the Sturm und Drang literary movement. During his first ten years in Weimar, Goethe served as a member of the Duke's privy council, sat on the war and highway commissions, oversaw the reopening of silver mines in nearby Ilmenau, and implemented a series of administrative reforms at the University of Jena. He also contributed to the planning of Weimar's botanical park and the rebuilding of its Ducal Palace, which in 1998 were together designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Joseph Karl Stieler [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
74 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Antonio Vives
5.0 out of 5 stars An intelligent and elegant novel
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2014
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This is a very surprising book. I read about in the list of 20 great but neglected novels published in a newspaper and it piqued my curiosity. Glad I read it. It is a very introspective book, getting deep into the character psyche of protagonists, with extremely intelligent discussions. It does require some effort in the part of the reader to absorb it all and enjoy living the lives of the characters, but it is worthwhile. You are transported to the tine and place of the action. The language used is dated as it was written in ....but it is very elegant, refined, courteous. I do not speak German to be able to make an assessment but the translation seems to have perfectly captured the style of Goethe.

No need to comment on the plot as other reviewers have already done. Only to tell you to keep reading, the end will surprise you and make think about all you have read.
6 people found this helpful
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Greg Madden
4.0 out of 5 stars Hated the ending
Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2021
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Book came in good condition. Excellent read except I hated the ending. The ending was well written but also terrible to read.
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Carlos A. Padilla
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful short novel from Goethe
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2016
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It is a very beautiful short novel by Goethe. It was first published in 1809, describing the life of the leisure society of the time. I personally enjoy very much descriptions of any past time society and Goethe's style is wonderful. Loved it. Could not put it down.
6 people found this helpful
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Nick
5.0 out of 5 stars Good edition
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2013
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Quality for a paperback, I like the introduction, the end notes were helpful, enjoyed the novel. More helpful than my sister's edition.
3 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars I didn't have any expectations for this book because I ...
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2016
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I didn't have any expectations for this book because I hadn't heard of it prior to reading it for class. The book itself is well written and takes an unorthodox approach on the way plot should be structured. This diffrent approach makes the novel refreshing. I do believe though that the discussions and arguments that derive from the novel is more appealing than the material itself. In other words, had I read this book outside of class I wouldn't have much of opinion on it.
2 people found this helpful
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A
4.0 out of 5 stars Elective Affinities
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2011
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I got the book on time, which is always great. The book is in great condition, as amazon.com's books always are. I definitely recommend amazon.com as the way to get your books!
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Talia
2.0 out of 5 stars Good translation
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2020
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I had loved The Sorrows of Werther, and I bought this hoping for a similar experience. Unfortunately I found this book extremely dull, and despite its short length I gave up reading it about halfway through. I think as far as the story goes, its failing is that there's no opposition -- any conflict is swiftly settled. The result is that you are left just reading about rich people redecorating their garden and playing music at parties, and basically you might as well read an issue of Martha Stewart Living instead.

It's too bad the story wasn't better, as the premise is actually rather interesting and feels more like a subject for a book from the 1920s than the 1810s. Jane Austen this is not!
4 people found this helpful
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PuroShaggy
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent meta-novel as novel...?
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2011
Goethe flexes his literary muscles from the get-go and flat out tells the reader, in the first chapter, exactly what is going to happen in this book- robbing the reader of any element of surprise- and then expertly delivers exactly what he promised.
Charlotte and Eduard are a happily married couple who entertain the notion of inviting some needy friends- a respected male and a young female- to come stay with them in their time of need. Charlotte and Eduard are hesitant to do so, however, because, as all literature shows, anytime such a situation occurs, problems arise in the marriage and things end badly. So guess what happens? Eduard and Charlotte invite Eduard's long time friend the Captain and Charlotte's young innocent niece Ottilie to stay with them, and before you know it, the wife is spending all her time with her husband's best friend and the niece is flirting with her aunt's husband, exactly as Goethe promised.
Fully aware of what is going on the entire time, the characters nonetheless continue to make questionable choices as Goethe questions the notion of marriage and love and questions whether or not we can control our baser impulses; and even though deeper notions of free will and morality drive the action, the action itself evolves in a steady, slowly intensifying fashion that keeps the reader interested to the very (sad) end.
In "Elective Affinities", Goethe has taken a standard literature plot and elevated it to new heights.
27 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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kaitlin
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice
Reviewed in Canada on August 29, 2020
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Interesting book
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Cliente Kindle
2.0 out of 5 stars goethe è noioso
Reviewed in Italy on October 24, 2016
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Goethe in questo libro è mostruosamente noioso, non so se avrò il coraggio di leggerne altri dello stesso autore.
I personaggi mancano completamente di coerenza emotiva.
Riconosco che l'idea alla base del racconto offre moltissimi spunti di riflessione, ma poi la realizzazione è disastrosa.
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