The writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was an authentic Renaissance man: excellent in poetry, drama, literature, science, philosophy, painting, and politics, considered by many as the principal author of the German language. "Elective Affinities" is one of his major works. When Goethe chose this title, "Wahlverwandtschaften" was a technical term used only in chemistry. The connotations later acquired - in German and other languages - are largely due to the power of this great novel, elegantly rigorous, and which is, in fact, a reflection on the complications of human relationships, demonstrating how our experience of other people makes our experience of love and desire fluid and uncertain. It's no wonder that "Elective Affinities" is part of the famous collection: "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die."

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