‘PATER ABSCONDITUS’: DELVING INTO WERTHER’S NEUROSES

Abstract

In all the voluminous critical works on 'Werther', I Ernst Feise's Adlerian study of 1929, Goethes Werther als nervoser Charakter,2 stood almost alone in measuring the work against twentieth century psychoanalysis until K.R. Eissler's Goethe: A psycho-analytic study 1775-1786 of 1963.3 Applying text-book psychoanalysis to literature has its dangers. One could think, for example, of Ernest Jones's study of Hamlet's Oedipus Complex which would have startled Shakespeare; and H.J. Eysenck4 quotes one Schilder who links 'Alice' with 'phallus' in proof of Lewis Carroll's castration complex. Eissler, closely tied to Freud's works, adduces much impressive evidence to suggest Goethe's subconscious incestuous feelings for his sister Cornelia, even if it involves also a great deal of speculation on possibilities, which he himself acknowledges (at times almost apologetically). Whereas the Freudians use the work to psychoanalyse the author, the Jungians, interested more in indications of insight into universal human nature, tend to be more flexible than the more dogmatic and mechanistic Freudians. But they can fall into the trap too: Heidi M. Rockwood in Jungs psychological types and Goethes 'Die Leiden des jungen Werthers'5 starts from the thesis of Jung's 'four' types, those of sensation, thinking, feeling and intuition. * Thus: Werther is an introverted feeler, Albert an extroverted thinker, Lotte (after some hesitation) is a partly extroverted sensing type and anima figure. So far so good; but Rockwood now feels that Goethe, as a convinced Jungian, must have included an intuitive type, and in glorious disregard for normal literary laws of evidence from the text, lights on none other than the shadowy Wllhelm to fill the role. However, Werther may profitably be studied, not as a substitute Goethe, but in his own right as a fictional character perfectly compatible with psychoanalytical theory. This is consistent with Goethe and his time. Psychology was in the air, and Goethe was interested. Herder's essay 'Yom Erkennen und Empfinden der menschlichen Seele' was read in the first of its three versions6 by Goethe before 'Werther' appeared. The influence of Lavater is well described in Stuart Atkins' study J.G. Lavater and Goethe7, and he is mentioned twice in the