Goethe
From The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia
Historical figure.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 august 1749 - 22 march 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. A poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre-director, and critic, Goethe wrote a wide range of works, including plays, poetry and aesthetic criticism, as well as treatises on botany, anatomy, and colour.
In the Sherlock Holmes stories
- Sherlock Holmes quoted Goethe (Faust I, scene Studierzimmer, v. 1205-1207) : « Wir sind gewohnt dass die Menschen verhöhnen was sie nicht verstehen. » (We are used to people mocking what they don't understand.) (SIGN 1128).
- Sherlock Holmes also quoted Goethe (Xenien, v. 202 Der Prophet) : « Schade dass die Natur nur einen Mensch aus dir schuf, Denn zum würdigen Mann war und zum Schelmen der Stoff. » (It's a pity that nature only created one man from you, for you were made for a worthy man and a rogue.) (SIGN 2834).
