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             The view that life and work must be studied together as an organic unity, in fact, pretty much sums up Goethe"s philosophy in work and in life. Indeed, Goethe"s philosophy that there was an organic unity in life led him into frequently revealing personal details in his writings in a manner reminiscent of Freud"s "free association" technique. So much so, that he even went to the extent of revealing his own dual nature in works such as Wilhelm Meister, Faust, and the Conversations (Goethe, p. 131). .

             Goethe"s openness and candor is reflected not just in his work but also in the manner in which he led his life. Born in Frankfurt on August 28, 1749, Johann Wolfgang Goethe was the son of a lawyer and a mother who had descended from petty nobility. His father, Johann Caspar Goethe was a strict disciplinarian who was determined that his son should develop his intellectual faculties to the maximum extent possible. As a result, the young Goethe studied several languages, the art of metrics, and the natural sciences at a very early age (Rascoe, p. 325). Besides the early exposure that Goethe received to the academic world, it is believed that Goethe was deeply influenced by his parents. .

             In fact, true to his philosophy of seeing an organic unity in existence, Goethe ascribed two of his dominant characteristics to family influences in the famous quatrain, "From Father came life"s earnest poise, A bearing strict and stable, From Mother dear my sense of joys And will to spin a fable." (Willoughby, p. 11-12). However, Goethe"s mind was by no means a susceptible one, which was easily molded by either strong wills or external influences. Indeed, this is evident in George Henry Lewes" revelation of how Goethe"s doubts about conventional religion were raised when, during a terrible thunderstorm, the whole household panicked and began fervently praying to try and appease an angry God.