The Cambridge Companion to Goethe

Somewhere in the bulk of his writings, Goethe fumed “Kill the dog, he’s a reviewer.” The present reviewer might have given Goethe a heart attack. Until recently his knowledge of the great German genius’ work was limited to a two‐volume biographical account of Goethe’s life and work by George Henry Lewes, written in English, published in London in 1855 and to subsequent reactions to the biography. The interest being George Henry Lewes and not the subject, Goethe. “A guide to further reading,” which concludes Lesley Sharpe’s collection of 15 essays focussing on various aspects of Goethe, has a section “Biography...