ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the Goethe-Byron relationship through Byron's eyes. That there exist links between Goethe and Byron is by no means a new discovery. It suggests these may reach beyond the biographical and superficial to lend credence to Byron's opinion that there may be an 'analogy' between the two, opens up a whole new avenue of potentially much more fruitful investigation than has hitherto been undertaken. The chapter elaborates on Byron's knowledge of Germany and German literature, noting particularly the influence on his interest in Goethe of Faust and the dedications fiasco. It offers a short textual comparison from the 'Buch der Betrachtungen' of the West-ostlicher Divan, and stanza 14 of Canto XIII of Don Juan, in an attempt to ascertain to what extent Byron's perception of an 'analogy' between the two poets is tenable. Charles Sterling instigated direct contact between the two poets in 1823 by forwarding Goethe's poem to Byron.
