Elective Affinities (German: Die Wahlverwandtschaften), also known as Kindred by Choice, is the third novel written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It was published in 1809 and takes place near the city of Weimar. The story follows Eduard and Charlotte, an aristocratic couple who live a peaceful but ordinary life on a quiet estate. Both are married for the second time, but their relationship begins to change after they invite Eduard’s friend, Captain Otto, and Charlotte’s orphaned niece, Ottilie, to live with them. This invitation is described as an "experiment," as it is meant to test how people interact. The house and its gardens are compared to "a chemical retort," a tool used in science to mix substances and observe reactions. Just as chemicals interact, each spouse develops a new attraction: Charlotte, who represents reason, feels a connection to the thoughtful and energetic Captain Otto; Eduard, who is impulsive and passionate, becomes drawn to the young and charming Ottilie. The conflict between passion and reason causes confusion and eventually leads to a sad ending.

The novel blends ideas from Weimar Classicism, such as using a story as a scientific lesson, with elements of Romanticism. The term "elective affinities" originally came from chemistry and was used by scientists like Robert Boyle, Isaac Newton, and Antoine Lavoisier to describe chemical reactions. Goethe used this idea as a metaphor to explore how human emotions might follow similar rules to chemical reactions. He examined whether these rules support or challenge the institution of marriage and other social relationships. The theme of voluntary renunciation, or choosing to give up something, also appears in Goethe’s later novel, Wilhelm Meister’s Journeyman Years, or the Renunciants.

Plot

After both of their first spouses died, Eduard married his childhood friend, Charlotte. The couple lives in seclusion on Eduard's estate, where Eduard enjoys landscaping the grounds. Their relationship is based more on familiarity than on love. Their quiet life is interrupted when two guests join them: Eduard's friend, Captain Otto, who has financial problems, and Charlotte's niece, Ottilie, who has no parents or money.

Captain Otto's skills and energy lead to improvements on the estate, especially the landscape design. Charlotte helps him with these projects. Ottilie is quiet, kind, and calm. Charlotte teaches her about managing a household, a task Ottilie soon takes over completely. Over time, Eduard and Ottilie become closer, as do Charlotte and Captain Otto. Charlotte and Otto admit their feelings, but Charlotte asks Otto to stop loving her. Eduard cannot control his feelings for Ottilie.

Charlotte asks Eduard to send Ottilie away, but Eduard had expected a divorce and moves out instead. The two women continue their lives, hiring an architect for landscaping. Charlotte discovers she is pregnant and hopes Eduard will return, but he leaves for the military. Ottilie becomes more isolated.

The estate's improvements now include the village cemetery and church. Ottilie helps paint a chapel, and Charlotte gives birth to a son who looks like Otto and Ottilie. The child is the result of both Charlotte and Eduard's emotional infidelity. Ottilie takes care of the child. Goethe includes a story within the main story about a similar situation leading to a happy marriage.

After a year, Eduard returns from war with honors and invites Otto to his home. Eduard tries to get a divorce so Charlotte can live with Otto and their child on the estate, while he travels with Ottilie. At a lake created by the architect, Eduard meets Ottilie and the child. They share a passionate moment. After confirming the divorce, Eduard shares his plans with Ottilie, who leaves the decision to Charlotte.

Charlotte lets the child fall into the water as she climbs into the boat. Charlotte feels responsible for the accident and agrees to divorce Otto, but does not confirm it. The child's death removes the last barrier, but Ottilie is filled with guilt and wants to stop loving Eduard. After another meeting, Ottilie realizes their attraction is unbreakable. She stops speaking and eating and dies. Eduard also loses his will to live and dies. Charlotte bur

Theory

Elective Affinities is considered the first book to compare human relationships to chemical reactions or processes, inspired by a saying from the ancient Greek philosopher Empedocles: "People who love each other mix like water and wine; people who hate each other separate like water and oil."

The term "elective affinities" comes from an older idea in chemistry. In the early 1800s, scientists used the phrase "elective affinities" or "chemical affinities" to describe how certain substances only reacted with each other under specific conditions. Goethe used this idea as a metaphor to explore marriage and the struggle between duty and desire.

In the book, people are compared to chemical elements, with their romantic relationships and choices determined by rules similar to how chemicals combine. Goethe suggested that love, marriage, conflict, and personal freedom are influenced by the same laws that govern chemical reactions. Over time, people have debated whether Goethe’s idea was meant as a metaphor or taken literally.

A key event in the story is a chemical reaction called a "double displacement reaction" (or "double elective affinity"). This happens between a married couple, Eduard and Charlotte (BA), and their friends, the Captain and Ottilie (CD). Eduard and Charlotte’s first marriages were not based on love but on financial reasons. Eduard was married to a wealthy older woman because his father wanted to gain money. Charlotte married a rich man when she had few other options, even though she did not love him.

In the fourth chapter, the characters describe what is called the first-ever written example of a human double displacement reaction. The chapter begins with a map of the estate and its surroundings, which the Captain created using precise measurements. This map is referred to as a "topographical chart" by Goethe.

To explain the reaction, the story describes how the characters’ relationships change, similar to how chemicals interact in a double displacement reaction.

Adaptations

A 1974 East German film with the same title was directed by Siegfried Kühn for the DEFA film studio.

Francis Ford Coppola, while dealing with clinical manic depression and anxiety over his unfinished film Apocalypse Now, and possibly influenced by his girlfriend, screenwriter Melissa Mathison, suggested creating a "ten-hour film version of Goethe's Elective Affinities in 3D."

John Banville's 1982 novel The Newton Letter adapts the story to Ireland. A description by Gordon Burgess appears in German Life and Letters, April 1992.

The films Diary (1975) and Tarot (1986) by Rudolf Thome are loosely based on Elective Affinities.

The 1993 play Arcadia, written by British playwright Tom Stoppard, is a modern-day remake of Elective Affinities, with a twist. The play takes place in modern times and 1809, Goethe's time; characters are slightly changed, such as "The Captain" becoming "The Naval Captain." The chemical affinity is updated in the play with discussions about the second law of thermodynamics, chaos theory, and other topics. However, the play still shows characters as reactive entities, discussing ideas like the "heat" of interactions between them.

Robin Gordon's 1995 short story "Leaves in the Wind" adapts the story to modern England, featuring Edward and Charlotte as an academic couple.

In 1996, a film version titled The Elective Affinities was made, directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani.

The 2009 film Sometime in August, directed by Sebastian Schipper, is loosely based on Goethe's novel and moves the story to modern-day Germany.

References in culture and theory

• Max Weber, a sociologist from the late 19th century, explained the development of capitalism in a way that was different from Karl Marx’s theories. He focused on social, cultural, and historical connections between ideas, especially the Protestant Work Ethic, rather than just economic factors. Weber read Goethe’s works at age 14 and used Goethe’s idea of “elective affinities” to help shape his sociology studies.
• Walter Benjamin wrote an essay titled “Goethe’s Elective Affinities.” It was published in Neue Deutsche Beiträge in 1924 and is one of his early important works about German Romanticism.
• In 1933, René Magritte created a painting called Elective Affinities.
• In François Truffaut’s 1962 movie Jules et Jim, one of the male characters, Jim, is lent a book by his friend Jules. However, Jules’ wife, Catherine, suddenly asks Jim to return the book. Afterward, Catherine becomes Jim’s lover.
• In Michael Ondaatje’s novel Anil’s Ghost, the book Elective Affinities is mentioned as being placed with other novels in a Sri Lankan hospital’s doctors’ common room, but it is not read.
• In Günter Grass’s first novel The Tin Drum, Elective Affinities is one of two books that the main character, Oskar, uses for guidance, along with a book about Rasputin.
• In Maurice Baring’s novel Cat’s Cradle (Heineman, 1925), a character named Elsie Lawless humorously refers to the attraction between two men and other women as “a case of ‘elective affinities.’” This scene takes place in 1901, shortly after the coronation of King Edward VII.