Goethe was an early participant in the Sturm und Drang literary movement. He was ennobled by the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, Karl August, in 1782. Goethe took up residence in Weimar in November 1775 following the success of his first novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774). He is widely regarded as the greatest and most influential writer in the German language, and his work has had a profound and wide-ranging influence on Western literary, political, and philosophical thought from the late 18th century to the present day. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as treatises on botany, anatomy, and colour. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic.