Werther is as annoying, as arrogant, and as irrational and foolish as can be. It is impossible to sympathize with him, and some of his views are downright contemptible. Nevertheless, the book is beautifully written. Partly autobiographical according to the introduction, I think that Goethe does an amazing job in showing Werther's mental instability and decline.

This book at the time of its publication became popular for all the wrong reasons, allegedly leading to a string of suicides by its readers. This is astonishing to me because reading about Werther's downfall should have deterred them rather than drive them to suicide.