ABSTRACT
At the insistence of his father, Goethe began in October 1765 to study law in Leipzig. He himself felt more drawn to classical philology and history, but his father prevailed. Goethe experienced his departure for Leipzig as a liberation: “The secret joy of a prisoner, when he has loosed his fetters and rapidly filed through the bars of his gaol-window, cannot be greater than was mine” (Smith, vol. 1, p. 213). Höfer (2002) and Boyle (2000) explain that the University of Leipzig had an outstanding reputation at that time and was considered very sophisticated, especially in comparison to the old imperial city of Frankfurt. While royal splendor was cultivated in Dresden, the seat of royal power in Saxony, Leipzig was characterized by the establishment of a wealthy middle class. University professors were regarded with great respect, and they belonged to the leading ranks of society.
