Published by De Gruyter

Die Entstehung von Goethes Werken in Dokumenten

Edited by: Katharina Mommsen
Founded by: Momme Mommsen

Overview
Volumes

This documentation of the genesis of Goethe's works was compiled in the 1950s by Momme and Katharina Mommsen at the Deutsche Akademie der Wissenschaften [German Academy of Sciences] in East Berlin.and is now continued at the Mommsen Foundation for the Advancement of Goethe Research in California. The work reconstructs and documents the history of the genesis of Goethe's works, based on all of the currently available documents, letters and personal journal entries written by Goethe himself and those close to him. The material includes numerous texts that were previously unknown or largely ignored. The carefully edited documents, which are arranged in chronological order, provide unique insight into the creative processes behind Goethe's works and into both the intellectual and personal cosmos in which Goethe created them. The background of the genesis of his biographical, historical, art-theoretical and natural-scientific writings is also documented.

The first three volumes of the work have been published by Walter de Gruyter in 2006. The first two volumes are reproductions of the volumes originally published in 1958, which have been expanded to include new documents.

It is planned to publish one additional volume every two years. The complete work comprise approximately 18 volumes

Einzigartiger Einblick in die Werkentstehung und die geistigen Prozesse "hinter den Werken"

Band 1 und 2 mit neuen, wichtigen Dokumenten, Nachträgen und Berichtigungen

Author information

Momme Mommsen (1907-2001), Goethe-Forscher; Katharina Mommsen, Stanford University, CA, USA.

Reviews

"This monumental project will definitely contribute to research on Goethe and his times and the arrival of the subsequent volumes will be eagerly awaited."
Rekha Kamath Rajan in: Goethe Society of India - Yearbook 2007

"We strongly emphasize the importance of the EGW which will become indispensable for international Goethe scholarship. This project deserves international recognition and support."
Anil Bhatti in: Goethe Society of India - Yearbook 2007

"Damit steht für einen weiteren nicht unbeträchtlichen Teil des Goethe'schen Werkes eine Quellenpublikation zur Verfügung, die nicht nur allen Goethe-Editoren und -Forschern künftig unentbehrlich sein dürfte, sondern auch zum fundierteren Verständnis der Werke beitragen wird."
Elke Richter in: Editio 21/2007

"Wer nur Goethes Äußerungen zu ›Egmont‹ zwischen 1773 und 1829 nachliest, hat die Chance, ein ganzes Dichterleben im Spiegel eines einzigen Dramas zu rekapitulieren. Man darf gespannt sein auf die Überraschungen, die uns die EGW auf dem weiten Weg bis zum Z noch bereiten wird. Und vor allem auch auf den geplanten Ergänzungsband mit den Dokumenten zu Goethes Gedichten."
Manfred Koch in: Neue Zürcher Zeitung 09/2007

"Ein Großunternehmen der Goethe-Forschung hat wieder Fahrt aufgenommen."
Hans-Jürgen Schings in: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 06/2007

"Selbst im Bereich der gebeutelten Literaturwissenschaften sind noch Wunder möglich, vorausgesetzt, der Wille zum Wunder, Energie zu seiner allmählichen Verfertigung und maieutische Unterstützung sind gegeben. Das Wunder: Die Wiederaufnahme und Fortführung der 1949 konzipierten und 1958 begonnenen Dokumentation der Entstehung von Goethes Werken in Dokumenten, mit dem Versprechen mindestens 12 weiterer Bände sowie einiger Sonderbände. [...] Dem Fleiß, der Planung und dem Projektzuschnitt kann nur Achtung entgegengebracht werden. [...] EGW gehört in jede seriöse Bibliothek."
Hans Adler in: Monatshefte 3/2007

Book 2006

Band 1 Abaldemus - Byron

More Cite

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110921908
ISBN:: 978-3-11-018987-2
ISBN:: 978-3-11-092190-8
Subject:: Literary Studies
Subject:: German Literature
Subject:: 18th Century
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2006

Band 2 Cäcilia - Dichtung und Wahrheit

More Cite

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110921915
ISBN:: 978-3-11-018988-9
ISBN:: 978-3-11-092191-5
Subject:: Literary Studies
Subject:: German Literature
Subject:: 18th Century
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2006

Band 3 Diderot - Entoptische Farben

Katharina Mommsen

More Cite

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110922929
ISBN:: 978-3-11-018989-6
ISBN:: 978-3-11-092292-9
Subject:: Literary Studies
Subject:: German Literature
Subject:: 18th Century
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2008

Band 4 Entstehen - Farbenlehre

More Cite

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110976595
ISBN:: 9783110203073
ISBN:: 9783110976595
Subject:: Literary Studies
Subject:: German Literature
Subject:: 18th Century
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2018

Band 5 Fastnachtsspiel - Faust

Uwe Hentschel

More Cite

The famous standard work of Goethe research based on all accessible materials ‑ letters, diary entries and so on ‑ reconstructs the genesis of Goethe’s works chronologically and thus enables unique insights into the origin of the works and the mental processes ‘behind’ the works and the period in which they were written. The work will comprise 18 volumes.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110567861
ISBN:: 9783110567861
ISBN:: 9783110566338
ISBN:: 9783110562859
Subject:: Literary Studies
Subject:: German Literature
Subject:: 18th Century
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2010

Band 6 Feradeddin - Gypsabgüsse

More Cite

Thefamous standard work of Goethe research was launched in the 1950s by the German Academy of Sciences (East Berlin). Based on all accessible materials ‑ letters, diary entries and so on ‑ it reconstructs the genesis of Goethe’s works chronologically and thus enables unique insights into the origin of the works and the mental processes ‘behind’ the works and the period in which they were written. Volumes I and II were published in the Akademie Verlag in 1958. However, the erection of the Berlin Wall and historical developments made it impossible to continue the project. It was not until after the reunification of Germany and the opening of the Weimar Archives that it became conceivable to resume the project. The work will comprise 18 volumes.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110237559
ISBN:: 978-3-11-023754-2
ISBN:: 978-3-11-023755-9
Subject:: Literary Studies
Subject:: German Literature
Subject:: 18th Century
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2015

Band 7 Hackert - Indische Dichtungen

More Cite

Thefamous standard work of Goethe research based on all accessible materials ‑ letters, diary entries and so on ‑ reconstructs the genesis of Goethe’s works chronologically and thus enables unique insights into the origin of the works and the mental processes ‘behind’ the works and the period in which they were written. The work will comprise 18 volumes.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110378429
ISBN:: 978-3-11-037414-8
ISBN:: 978-3-11-037842-9
ISBN:: 9783110392357
Subject:: Literary Studies
Subject:: German Literature
Subject:: 18th Century
Publisher:: De Gruyter