Solving the Enigma of Ottilie in the Chemistry of Love in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s „Elective Affinities“
Solving the Enigma of Ottilie in the Chemistry of Love in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s „Elective Affinities“

Summary/Abstract: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once wrote that “Indem es vollkommen sich selbst darstellt;” all life is symbolic and where it is fully represented, it reveals its unity. The figure of Ottilie in 1809 novel Elective Affinities chooses a form of life so self-denying that at the end, she is less a person and more of a symbol in the fatal play of elemental forces. In Elective Affinities, the mysterious natural or supernatural world of chemistry, magnetism and fate defined as “Naturphilosophie,” underlies and determines a human story of spiritual adultery. Goethe’s has had a strong belief in nature and metamorphosis, as man is always dependant on nature. The goal of this paper is to examine Ottilie’s character as an affinity in the chemistry of love Goethe introduces in his novel and to understand her role and development in the course of narrative. The characters of the novel are placed in a situation where natural elements produce a reaction, which shows the human response and gives them a chance to incorporate that experience into a philosophy of life instead of denying its power. In the 1800s, the intellectuals were fascinated with the science of chemistry, which was seen as “reflecting dynamic, revolutionary spirit of the age, offering new paradigm for comprehending the natural world” (Smith 2001, 2). Affinities are not elective but parts of the natural cycle of natural law, as humans are mere agents in chemical reaction. Ottilie is the catalyst of a reaction, which creates the human desire. She is the magical force that ignites an attraction between the characters, overcoming social and moral bonds. Ottilie becomes the vehicle off all natural forces that pass through her into the relationship of the group; she remains unchanged all the way, while others characters change and transform.

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