The article examines the almost religious worship of Goethe as an unattainable universal genius and classical author, analyzing both the «Goethe cult» and the «anti-cult» in the German culture before the first half of the 20th century. The Goethe cult, that had started shortly after his death, largely contributed to the development of modern literary studies as a new science in Europe. The anniversary years invariably intensified the cult. Resistance to this cult became especially noticeable

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... er WWI when, for the first time, a real «anti-cult» unfolded. It is documented, for example, in a series of articles by comedian C. Sternheim (1878-1942), where Goethe appears as the symbol for «Kulturphilister», in the «Steppenwolf» by H. Hesse, essays by Ortega y Gasset. The «standard education» turned Goethe into a «blank sign», referring to the national-patriotic cult of the «classics». Both the cult of Goethe and his anti-cult turned out to be very productive not only for literature and journalism, but also for literary criticism.