Visiting an idyllic German village, Werther, a sensitive  young man, falls in love with sweet-natured Lotte. Though he realizes that Lotte is to marry Albert, he is unable to subdue his passion and his infatuation torments him to the point of despair. The first great confessional novel,  it draws both on Goethes own unrequited love for Charlotte Buff and on the death of a close friend. \nThe book was an immediate success and a cult rapidly grew up around it, resulting in numerous copycat deaths as well as violent criticism and suppression for its apparent support of suicide. Goethes exploration of the mind of an artist at odds with society and ill-equipped to cope with life remains as poignant as when it was first written.