Fama and Flamma: Goethe’s Sixth Roman Elegy rewrites Werther and the Latin Poets

Abstract

ABSTRACTGoethe’s Sixth Roman Elegy reflects upon and transforms the works of the Latin poets Catullus, Virgil, and Propertius. At the same time, the poem revisits and revises key aspects of Goethe’s previous work, Die Leiden des jungen Werther, whose reception had shaped the author’s literary and personal reputation since its publication. By evoking the poetry of classical Rome, which represents for him a more open approach to sexuality, Goethe rewrites the relationships in Werther to create a more fortunate outcome and creates a new relationship with his readers, a new authorial persona.