民國50年至今，歌德《少年維特的煩惱》(1774)一共出版了將近20本之中譯本。這說明《維特》在臺灣至今仍深受讀者喜愛。原因除了是歌德文豪本身之聲望以外，《維特》一書中感人的愛情悲劇以及主人翁身爲青少年追尋個體成長自由的種種表徵。《維特》一書中因自殺結局引起眾多評論以及相關的創作。同時期啟蒙後期思想家斐特列希•尼可萊(Friedrich Nicolai)1775年之諷刺模仿作品《少年維特的喜樂》，即爲著名例子。它顛覆、挑戰讀者的視野，打破讀者對作品的期待，批判歌德《維特》中過度沈迷個人情感的狂飆作風及敗壞社會倫理道德，將維特的「煩惱」改編爲「喜樂」，凸顯啟蒙教育之功能；而東德作家烏里希•朋茲多爾夫(Ulrich Plenzdorf)60年代末在截然不同的文化、社會背景下以其《少年威波的新煩惱》，豐富了作品題材的「接受」與「影響」之研究，亦使得文學作品藉由在不同時空下因爲讀者不同的理解、審美視野及文學闡釋之異同、批判規範之相異，而不斷地被充實與更新。文學的歷史意義以及藝術價值皆得以在這種接受過程中求證。本論文嘗試在《維特》一書的架構下，論述上述兩部作品。以堯斯「期待視野」(Erwartungshorizont)的觀點以及來呈現《維特》題材之變遷以及作品的創作、接受與交流。
To date, in Taiwan, since the mid 1960s, there have been about 20 Chinese translations of Goethe's text, ”The Sorrows of Young Werther,” which is ample evidence of the popularity of ”Werther” in the country. The reasons surely include the Goethe's fame as a classic writer, the celebration of his 250(superscript th) birthday in 1999, the tragic love story in ”Werther,” and the importance of the protagonist Werther as a symbol of the freedom of the individual person, particularly a young person. The topic of ”suicide” has provoked the late thinker and critic Friedrich Nicolai to write his ”The Joys of Young Werther,” which challenges the reading, and calls to a broadening of horizons for the reader. He criticizes the moral in Goethe's ”Werther.” Instead of ”Sorrows,” there should be ”Joys.” The writer Ulrich Plenzdorf, formerly of East Germany, completed in the 1970s his work ”The Sorrows of New Young W.” which deepens and extends ”Werther” as a theme of Reception and Influence. Plenzdorf's text effectively renews the controversial Goethe text through different ways of understanding and interpretation, and expands the borders of aesthetics and literary criticism. Thus, in the end, the historic meaning and artistic value of the text clearly lie in the process of Reception over the passing of years. Due to the importance and meaning of reception mentioned above, the purpose of my article is therefore, through Hans Robert Jauß' Concept of ”Expectation horizon” interpret Nicolai's and Plenzdorf's works, and to view the change of ”Werther” as a theme. I also hope to examine the possibilities of Werther for creative literary work and a variety of literary interactions.