Assesses the value and importance attached to Goethe at the beginning of the twentieth century from a strictly English perspective.

Preface; 1. Goethe's early years; 2. In 'Sturm und Drang'; 3. Goethe in Weimar to 1786; 4. In Italy: Egmont, Iphigenie, Tasso, Meister; 5. The friendship of Goethe and Schiller: Goethe's classicism; 6. The last twenty years; 7. Faust; 8. Goethe's philosophy and religion; 9. Goethe as a scientist and critic; 10. Goethe's personality: conclusion; Index.