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, whose peasants have
enchanted him with their simple ways. There he meets Charlotte, a
beautiful young girl who takes care of her siblings after the death of
their mother. Werther falls in love with Charlotte despite knowing
beforehand that she is engaged to a man named Albert, eleven years her
senior. The Sorrows of Young Werther turned Goethe, previously an
unknown author, into a literary celebrity almost overnight. Napoleon
Bonaparte considered it one of the great works of European literature,
having written a Goethe-inspired soliloquy in his youth and carried
Werther with him on his campaigning to Egypt. It also started the
phenomenon known as "Werther Fever," which caused young men throughout
Europe to dress in the clothing style described for Werther in the
novel.