Goethe’s masterpiece and perhaps the greatest work in German literature, Faust has made the legendary German alchemist one of the central myths of ...
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Jan 06, 2012
Stephen
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First impression: Goethe could write his tuckus off. Rarely have I encountered prose that commingles in such bounty the trifecta of being, at once, gorgeous to the eye, imbued with passion and saturated with depth and meaning. Faust has all three and I was pulled into the seductive narrative from the momentous opening (wonderfully titled “Prologue from Heaven”) through the final dramatic climax.
I must briefly pause here to add a qualifier to my comments which relate to the ver More...
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Oct 12, 2007
Sophia
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Goethe’s Faust is a novel rich in metaphor, elaborate verse, imagery, depth, and meaning that not only employs symbolic characters and scenes, but also through such literary techniques weaves its main philosophy of striving and experience as mankind’s rightful path.
Ironically, Faust reveals his disapproval for books as a true source of knowledge in understanding the world; we must turn to life and living, and experience instead. I call this ironic because while he denounces books, More...
Ironically, Faust reveals his disapproval for books as a true source of knowledge in understanding the world; we must turn to life and living, and experience instead. I call this ironic because while he denounces books, More...
Jul 22, 2011
Michelle
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Jan 16, 2012
Steve
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"So strange, yet so universal," Harold Bloom says. I'd stop at "so strange." Very off-putting, even Part One.
1. It's not a tragedy! Why is it called one?! Everyone goes to Heaven in the end and gets away with murder (literally!).
2. Part Two is almost entirely unreadable because it is a 7000 line lyric poem rather than a dramatic work, which is what it purports to be. It shifts in time and place jarringly--from Medieval Germany to Ancient Greece to Walpurgisn More...
1. It's not a tragedy! Why is it called one?! Everyone goes to Heaven in the end and gets away with murder (literally!).
2. Part Two is almost entirely unreadable because it is a 7000 line lyric poem rather than a dramatic work, which is what it purports to be. It shifts in time and place jarringly--from Medieval Germany to Ancient Greece to Walpurgisn More...
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Jan 16, 2012
kingshearte
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Goethe's most complex and profound work, Faust was the effort of the great poet's entire lifetime. Written over a period of sixty years, it can be read as a document of Goethe's moral and artistic development. As a drama drawn from an immense variety of cultural and historical material, set in a wealth of poetic and theatrical traditions, it can be read as the story of Western humanity striving restlessly and ruthlessly for progress.
Faust is made available to the English reader in a More...
Faust is made available to the English reader in a More...
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Apr 07, 2011
Erik
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Senior year at Grinnell was an intellectual idyll. Days were spent studying in a private library cubicle, evenings working as a bartender at the college's pub, nights writing at my desk or reading abed. The primary bedtime books that year were the Kepler (in Latin and English), The Jerusalem Bible and Goethe's Faust. Faust was read aloud, partly because the translation was beautiful, partly because Part Two was so boring that reading it this way was necessary in order to stay awake. This met
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Nov 21, 2008
Juan
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La búsqueda del origen de la acción ha guiado al hombre a través de los mas sinuosos rincones del principio del actuar, a pesar de la casi infinita cadena que esta acción halla tejido, el comienzo se encuentra en lo profundo del microcosmos del hombre, en cuyo centro se encuentra encerrado el espíritu, que va mas halla de cualquier definición posible, pues este es moldeado por todo cuanto ha pasado, dicha cantidad no ha de ser otra que no sea el infinito. Johann Wolfang von Goethe ha creado una
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Jan 10, 2012
Matt
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This piece is of monumental importance to the entirety of the Western literary canon, spouting off words of wisdom almost every stanza of text. The translation I read was done by Bayard Taylor, and I can't imagine it being any better than it was. Some of the other translations I've seen online are hideous - they do nothing to capture any semblance of poetry. Taylor at least tries, and all in all he succeeds.
There's nothing quite so unsettling as reading this book with only a semblanc More...
There's nothing quite so unsettling as reading this book with only a semblanc More...
Sep 09, 2011
Erica
rated it:
Unsurprisingly, this work deserved much more than the sporadic attention I was able to give it during the term. I know there was a lot of substance that I missed, and I would enjoy an opportunity to actually study it.
I didn't have much background prior to starting, other than the vague understanding of the Faust legend one can't help but acquiring in Western culture. I was therefore somewhat surprised by Part I, which read more like a comedy than a tragedy in style and structure. While it More...
I didn't have much background prior to starting, other than the vague understanding of the Faust legend one can't help but acquiring in Western culture. I was therefore somewhat surprised by Part I, which read more like a comedy than a tragedy in style and structure. While it More...
Apr 09, 2011
Patrick
rated it:
Yah, I know... I need to add a 'Classic Literature' bookshelf. But... I am too busy reading (read: lazy).
Written in stages across the span of nearly sixty years, I agree with the wisdom of the ages that it is one of the greatest works of imaginative literature ever composed. Yet, while I think its relevance to a modern audience high, this work is not likely to receive much attention, let alone deep study, in America today, in the age of the Oprah book club, computer animated movies, More...
Written in stages across the span of nearly sixty years, I agree with the wisdom of the ages that it is one of the greatest works of imaginative literature ever composed. Yet, while I think its relevance to a modern audience high, this work is not likely to receive much attention, let alone deep study, in America today, in the age of the Oprah book club, computer animated movies, More...
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Jan 11, 2011
James
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Oct 31, 2010
Cameron
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"Faust" is a story about a very successful scholar(Faust) who is unsatisfied with life and decides to make a deal with the devil for unlimited knowledge and worldy pleasures. He makes this deal with Mephistopheles(a demon) and the agreement is that Meph will be his servant on Earth and at the very moment he experiences "true happiness" he shall die and be cast to hell to serve the Devil. This is one of my favorite pieces of literature. Faust is a very relatable character due
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Aug 07, 2010
Nicholas
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http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1488893.html
It really took me ages to grind through this, and I'm not sure that it was worth it. Rather ambitiously I got hold of the Wordsworth edition which includes not only Part I and Part II of Faust, but also an earlier draft of Part I (the Urfaust) just in case you are sufficiently interested to know what the original version might have looked like.
Part I is the more digestible version (and the Urfaust even more so). Heinrich Faust, a scho More...
It really took me ages to grind through this, and I'm not sure that it was worth it. Rather ambitiously I got hold of the Wordsworth edition which includes not only Part I and Part II of Faust, but also an earlier draft of Part I (the Urfaust) just in case you are sufficiently interested to know what the original version might have looked like.
Part I is the more digestible version (and the Urfaust even more so). Heinrich Faust, a scho More...
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Jul 01, 2010
Daniel
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My favorite work of literature ever written. I absolutely love Goethe's Faust I; it is definitely the most sublime and inspiring work of literature in my mind. I think that the story of Dr. Faust alone is fascinating, but the version created by the German Romantic Goethe, whose genius can only be rivaled by Shakespeare, perhaps, is by far the most excellent, widely surpassing the play of Marlowe. My favorite quote from literature is in the monologue between Faust and his friend Wagner in Act I w
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May 03, 2011
Amandine
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Chef-d'œuvre que j'ai lu trop jeune la première fois et que je n'ai vraiment apprécié que lors de cette relecture tardive. Les longs monologues des personnages principaux, comme ceux de Faust ou de Méphistophélès, contrastent avec les répliques courtes et vives des passants ou des sorcières du Sabbat, tout comme la narration en prose avec certains chants en vers dans cette traduction de Nerval. Cela crée une œuvre riche et polymorphe où chacun peut y trouver son compte. L'ensemble de la pièce ét
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Aug 29, 2009
Doug
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My review:
Faust is the classic tale of man's introspection in his pursuit of life, where great wisdom brings greater bruden. Finished in 1832, this 'closet drama' has a gothic style with all advantages of Elizabethan inspiration from the likes of Shakespeare and every scientific, religious, philosophical, achaeological... engineering down to the kitchen sink available to him. Really--if you're the type who likes to look into your authors, Goethe is a fascinating genius of a man. Like most More...
Faust is the classic tale of man's introspection in his pursuit of life, where great wisdom brings greater bruden. Finished in 1832, this 'closet drama' has a gothic style with all advantages of Elizabethan inspiration from the likes of Shakespeare and every scientific, religious, philosophical, achaeological... engineering down to the kitchen sink available to him. Really--if you're the type who likes to look into your authors, Goethe is a fascinating genius of a man. Like most More...
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Dec 04, 2008
Ronny
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Orang sering memakai Faust sbg lambang orang yg telah menjual jiwanya pada Setan utk mendapatkan pengetahuan. Tapi bacalah sungguh2, maka kelihatan bhw si Setan Mephistopheles tidak mencobai Faust semau2nya. Dia bertindak ATAS IZIN Tuhan! Mephistopheles taruhan dg Tuhan bisa tidak dia mempengaruhi Faust utk mengikutinya. Jadi manusia cuma jadi mainan dari kepongahanNya bertaruh dg Mephistopheles. Emang rese nih Tuhan.
Kau baca ini, Gieb?
Kau baca ini, Gieb?
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Jul 25, 2011
Nikki Faith
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Jan 16, 2012
Shaun
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Jan 30, 2011
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Nov 11, 2009
Dusty
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Goethe was introduced to me as the Shakespeare of Germany, and that seems an apt comparison to me, based on this one singular experience I have had with him. As with Shakespeare, Goethe sculpts a familiar story into an original, humorous and modern-feeling ("modern" in this case referring to 19th Century Germany) play.
It is a crowd-pleaser with live poodles, actors in monkey costumes, blasphemous humor, illicit sex and one suave Mephistopheles; but it is also treasure-trov More...
It is a crowd-pleaser with live poodles, actors in monkey costumes, blasphemous humor, illicit sex and one suave Mephistopheles; but it is also treasure-trov More...
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Sep 02, 2007
Dottie
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Enjoyed reading this very much but it kind of came about long way round as I got sidetracked by the opera in several forms before I settled in and finished the book. It remains one of my favorites though for that very reason and I love listening to my various opera CDs based on the story.
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Apr 18, 2010
Wendy
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I think I really need to have another crack at this in a different translation. (I read the Charles T. Brooks translation.) And/or possibly in a critical edition with lots of notes and explanatory essays. Because I'm left feeling that I largely missed the point.
I largely enjoyed the opening - Faust's dissatisfaction with his life, his frustration at not being able to find the answers he seeks, his temptation by Mephistopheles are all the stuff of a gripping tale. However, after Faus More...
I largely enjoyed the opening - Faust's dissatisfaction with his life, his frustration at not being able to find the answers he seeks, his temptation by Mephistopheles are all the stuff of a gripping tale. However, after Faus More...
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Jan 29, 2012
Lord
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Anyone can read Faust but who can really say that he understand it? I know I don't. For those who seek a little bit enlightenment on this subject, I can recommend the book by Rudolf Steiner "Goethe's Secret Revelation and The Riddle of Faust" and, of course, his other books about Goethe.
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Aug 29, 2008
Shaindel
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It was a long time ago when I read this in German, so it's a little hazy. I know I loved the Walpurgisnacht scene, despite being confused by the talking lemurs. I thought that something was wrong with my German at the time, but, no, those are really talking lemurs in there.
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Feb 02, 2012
Wendy
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Goethe's Faust is one of those rare classics that you feel good about reading and that you actually enjoy reading--well, I did anyway, to the point where my husband was laughing at my eagerness to "go snuggle up with some Faust" as he put it. An accurate observation. But that doesn't mean this is an easy read. I had the good fortune to get my hands on an outstanding edition translated by Walter Kaufmann, who through a mix of rigorous work and sheer genius managed to impart the rhym
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Dec 07, 2011
Ivana
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Impressive poetic power...I wish that I could say that I was as impressed by the content as I was with the form, but I cannot. The myth of Faust has a great potential, and I do not think Goethe succeded in realising its full potential. It may be that my expectations for Faust were raised too high. I have not enjoyed it as much as I excpected to. Nevertheless, I cannot say that I did not like it. Maybe it is the influence of all the other versions of this legend that I have read that stopped me f
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Jan 08, 2009
Leslie
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Walter Kaufman's transaction is great... it keeps the rhythm and humor true to the original version (or so I hear). A great read for anyone - no need for scholarly analysis, although I recommend reading the 50-page introduction for something more to chew on.
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Jul 06, 2009
Chory
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