# Elective Affinities

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- Book: [Elective Affinities](https://www.bookquiver.com/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/elective-affinities) ([Elective Affinities.md](https://www.bookquiver.com/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/elective-affinities.md))
- Authors: [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://www.bookquiver.com/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe)
- Publisher: penguin_classics
- ISBN: 978-01-4044-242-7
- Pages: 320
- Published: 2005-02-24
- Language: en_GB
- Binding: Softcover

## Description

Eduard and Charlotte are an aristocratic couple who live a harmonious but idle life in their estate. But the peace of their existence is thrown into chaos when two visitors - Eduard's friend the Captain and Charlotte's passionate young ward Ottilie - provoke unexpected attraction and forbidden love. Taking its title from the principle of elective affinities - the theory that certain chemicals are naturally drawn to one another - this is a penetrating study of marriage and adultery. Inspired by Goethe's own conflicting loyalties as he battled to maintain his relationship with his wife and control his feelings for a younger woman, Elective Affinities is one of the greatest works of the romance era: a rich exploration of love, conflict, and the inescapable force of fate.