The story of a tormenting soul and the tragic death of a finely sensitive young man—suffering from his love for another man’s fiancée and the indifference of high society—captivated the minds of the reading European public so completely that it sparked a whole wave of suicides. Young contemporaries of Werther, obsessed with feeling spiritually close to their beloved literary hero, in droves settled accounts with life, following his example. Does this novel really need further proof of the power of its talent and the psychological persuasiveness of its narrative?