Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (1749-1832) was a German, poet, playwright novelist and scientist, he is to this day considered the greatest German literary figure of the modern age. He was an early leader in the 'Sturm and Drang' literary movement, which emphasised individual subjectivity and the freedom to express extremes of emotion, seemingly repressed by the Enlightenment. He is a figure held by philosophers and essayists as being in league with Plato, Napoleon and Shakespeare. His most notable works such as 'The Sorrows of Young Werther' , 'Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship' and 'Faust' are to this day referred to as some of the best literary work, ever completed.