The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion
A Focus on Our Authors
>
Faust, Part 1 by J.W. Von Goethe
date
newest »
newest »
I should have known to add that. A tranlator from Budapest taught me that. A senior moment.
Translation by David Constantine published in 2005. Penquin Classics.
Translation by David Constantine published in 2005. Penquin Classics.
I did my review of the book and people are welcome to criticize it on this thread. You should find it under reviews or on my home page. It's more balanced than my comment above.
I would transfer it to this thread if I knew how.
I would transfer it to this thread if I knew how.
Glen, if you want you can post a link to your review by right-clicking on the "see review" link on your profile page for the Faust book, copying the link location, and then pasting it into a comment on this thread. Or you can do the same thing by calling up your review, copying the URL and pasting it here. That way people can just click on it and read it. :)
Thanks Kate. I copied the URL. When I tried the other method I got "copy shortcut" when I right clicked "see review" and decided on the other method.
I always write my reviews before I look at others as First impressions are important.It is easy to be influenced by better informed readers and bury your perspective which may be less informed but still valid. This is NOT one of my better ones as the book had a very weak focus and made it more difficult to concentrate on what I was reading.
When I read the word "Superman" in the poem I immediately thought of Nietzsche. Have also read some Sartre in the last year but think his view of existentialism is too negative. Some of the concepts of existentialsim is here if you are specifically looking for it.
From Existentialism , A Very Short Introduction". " We are as responsible as we are free.". It also involves the examination of "the authenticity of our personal lives and of our society."
If Faust does not believe in Christianity he doesn't seem to have dicovered an alternate concept to keep him from depression. I will have to read Part II to see if Goethe has added anything of significance which I can relate to other readings or myself. Maybe he thinks like Camus that the world is absurd with no meaning. Napoleon may have impacted on his thoughts.
I also recently read "History of Beauty" by Umberto Eco. The power of beauty did not do Margarete much good. It will be interesting to see what Helen of Troy 's role is in the Part II.
This literary work reminds me to read "The Second Sex" by Simone DeBeauvoir which has been sitting on my shelf for some time.
I always write my reviews before I look at others as First impressions are important.It is easy to be influenced by better informed readers and bury your perspective which may be less informed but still valid. This is NOT one of my better ones as the book had a very weak focus and made it more difficult to concentrate on what I was reading.
When I read the word "Superman" in the poem I immediately thought of Nietzsche. Have also read some Sartre in the last year but think his view of existentialism is too negative. Some of the concepts of existentialsim is here if you are specifically looking for it.
From Existentialism , A Very Short Introduction". " We are as responsible as we are free.". It also involves the examination of "the authenticity of our personal lives and of our society."
If Faust does not believe in Christianity he doesn't seem to have dicovered an alternate concept to keep him from depression. I will have to read Part II to see if Goethe has added anything of significance which I can relate to other readings or myself. Maybe he thinks like Camus that the world is absurd with no meaning. Napoleon may have impacted on his thoughts.
I also recently read "History of Beauty" by Umberto Eco. The power of beauty did not do Margarete much good. It will be interesting to see what Helen of Troy 's role is in the Part II.
This literary work reminds me to read "The Second Sex" by Simone DeBeauvoir which has been sitting on my shelf for some time.
Glen wrote: "Thanks Kate. I copied the URL. When I tried the other method I got "copy shortcut" when I right clicked "see review" and decided on the other method...."Your browser is Internet Explorer, and Kate's Firefox, I think. "Copy shortcut" works the same way as "copy link location".
I haven't read Faust, but a few books I just finished referred to it, so I'm going to give it a try later. I'm reading two Existentialists' works now, Nietzsche and Kierkegaard. They both showed some great insights.
I find Wiki O.K. but will not use as my only source. I've found it wanting in a couple of cases relating to Canadian history. Like the rest of us, I don't notice it unless I'm into a subject that I know quite well.
Thomas Flynn's "Existentialism, A Very Short Introduction was useful to me because it wasn't so negative. Robert. D. Cummings's anthology of "The PHilosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre" is a pretty heavy read. Half of it was from his " Being and Nothingness" book. If you're into Existentialism you can't avoid reading some Sartre His Roads of Freedom trilogy series was very enjoyable. " The Last Chance" ( which is incomplete, and was to be his 4th book in the series) has been published and I have it on my to read shelf. It also contains other articles relating to Sartre's work. Many of the early authors have been categorized as existentialists and their veiws, in my mind, are somewhat different to Sartre and others.
Nemo- The last two novels I have read mention Goethe quite a bit, particularly, Hesse's "Steppenwolf". He's also in Saul Bellow's "Herzog". Like many, I often get encouraged to read a book by references in a book I'm reading. I don't want to discourage anyone, but I found "Faust" on the "dark side" which doesn't appeal to me. You would think I was talking about Star Wars. I like to stay optimistic. It's time to read some lighter novels.
Thanks for the information re copying.
Thomas Flynn's "Existentialism, A Very Short Introduction was useful to me because it wasn't so negative. Robert. D. Cummings's anthology of "The PHilosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre" is a pretty heavy read. Half of it was from his " Being and Nothingness" book. If you're into Existentialism you can't avoid reading some Sartre His Roads of Freedom trilogy series was very enjoyable. " The Last Chance" ( which is incomplete, and was to be his 4th book in the series) has been published and I have it on my to read shelf. It also contains other articles relating to Sartre's work. Many of the early authors have been categorized as existentialists and their veiws, in my mind, are somewhat different to Sartre and others.
Nemo- The last two novels I have read mention Goethe quite a bit, particularly, Hesse's "Steppenwolf". He's also in Saul Bellow's "Herzog". Like many, I often get encouraged to read a book by references in a book I'm reading. I don't want to discourage anyone, but I found "Faust" on the "dark side" which doesn't appeal to me. You would think I was talking about Star Wars. I like to stay optimistic. It's time to read some lighter novels.
Thanks for the information re copying.
Glen wrote: "I don't want to discourage anyone, but I found "Faust" on the "dark side" which doesn't appeal to me. You would think I was talking about Star Wars. I like to stay optimistic. It's time to read some lighter novels. "
Glen, I'd encourage you to join Everyman's Western Canon group. They're just finishing up The Oresteia and will move on to Huckleberry Finn (yes, interesting 2500 year whiplash there) shortly. The discussions tend to be fluid and fascinating with lots of really sharp people so I'm looking forward to what people dig out of Twain's great American novel. You'll see lots of familiar faces over there. These two groups are a bit incestuous.
Glen, I'd encourage you to join Everyman's Western Canon group. They're just finishing up The Oresteia and will move on to Huckleberry Finn (yes, interesting 2500 year whiplash there) shortly. The discussions tend to be fluid and fascinating with lots of really sharp people so I'm looking forward to what people dig out of Twain's great American novel. You'll see lots of familiar faces over there. These two groups are a bit incestuous.
Thanks for the suggestion. I don't understand the "no spoilers" clause when they're reviewing chapters as they read a book. It's sort of a micro analysis. I've already read Middlemarch, but wouldn't you call the complete discussion of the book on site a "spoiler"? I thought it was a great book.
I've read Huch Finn. Good Book.
I've read Huch Finn. Good Book.
Glen wrote: "Thanks for the suggestion. I don't understand the "no spoilers" clause when they're reviewing chapters as they read a book. It's sort of a micro analysis. I've already read Middlemarch, but wouldn..."
The "no spoilers" thing refers to parts of the book the group read hasn't covered yet and is an interim measure to keep everyone on the same page (approximately), i.e. if you are discussing things up to Chapter 10, then anything up to that point is fair game and anything beyond that is off the table. As the group progresses through the book, you eventually get to the point where the whole thing is being thoroughly picked apart and analyzed. Does that make sense? For instance we did "Paradise Lost" at the rate of one book/week. If you look at the discussion threads of say, book seven, you can see references to everything prior to that but nobody brings in examples or topics that arise in book 8, 9 ,10, etc.
The "no spoilers" thing refers to parts of the book the group read hasn't covered yet and is an interim measure to keep everyone on the same page (approximately), i.e. if you are discussing things up to Chapter 10, then anything up to that point is fair game and anything beyond that is off the table. As the group progresses through the book, you eventually get to the point where the whole thing is being thoroughly picked apart and analyzed. Does that make sense? For instance we did "Paradise Lost" at the rate of one book/week. If you look at the discussion threads of say, book seven, you can see references to everything prior to that but nobody brings in examples or topics that arise in book 8, 9 ,10, etc.
Glen wrote: "Like many, I often get encouraged to read a book by references in a book I'm reading. I don't want to discourage anyone, but I found "Faust" on the "dark side" which doesn't appeal to me. ..."That's the impression I got from your review as well. Speaking of dark side, The Sorrows of Young Werther "inspired" many young people to commit suicide. It's partly why I put off reading Goethe.
I just added Being and Nothingness to my To Read list. How did you like it?
Nemo:How do you the Glen wrote: part of text thing?
I read the anthology of his work which had about 250 pages of "Being and Nothingness" as part of the text. It was a difficult text for me and found it somewhat confusing although there was some good insight and lots to think about. It also covered "Nausea" which is an earlier book by him.
His belief in individualism was impacted by the occupation of Paris in WWII. His inclination towards Communism also muddied the waters. In my view, events in his life overtook some of his earlier beliefs. If you already know a fair bit about existentialism you will probably find it easier to read than I did. You can look at my review in my philosophy section. I understand him more now than I did when I read his book. I probably bit off a little more than I could chew at that time. It's hard to believe how famous he was in Paris in his own time.
I'll quote historian Alistair Horne from the history book "LaBelle France-A Short History:
" If ever there was a philosopher guilty of the sin that Socrates was accused of , being a false corrupter of youth, Sartre seemed to be it". " In the post-war atmosphere of libertarian Paris, youth gratefully reached out to Sartre for a welcome excuse selfishly to abandom all moral prescripts of responsibility, sexually in particular."
I much preferred his Road to Freedom series but of course they were much easier to read.
Tyler in the philosophy group had read the complete text. He thought it was very worth while and I respect his opinion. He is much more knowledgeable in philosophy than I will ever be.
I read the anthology of his work which had about 250 pages of "Being and Nothingness" as part of the text. It was a difficult text for me and found it somewhat confusing although there was some good insight and lots to think about. It also covered "Nausea" which is an earlier book by him.
His belief in individualism was impacted by the occupation of Paris in WWII. His inclination towards Communism also muddied the waters. In my view, events in his life overtook some of his earlier beliefs. If you already know a fair bit about existentialism you will probably find it easier to read than I did. You can look at my review in my philosophy section. I understand him more now than I did when I read his book. I probably bit off a little more than I could chew at that time. It's hard to believe how famous he was in Paris in his own time.
I'll quote historian Alistair Horne from the history book "LaBelle France-A Short History:
" If ever there was a philosopher guilty of the sin that Socrates was accused of , being a false corrupter of youth, Sartre seemed to be it". " In the post-war atmosphere of libertarian Paris, youth gratefully reached out to Sartre for a welcome excuse selfishly to abandom all moral prescripts of responsibility, sexually in particular."
I much preferred his Road to Freedom series but of course they were much easier to read.
Tyler in the philosophy group had read the complete text. He thought it was very worth while and I respect his opinion. He is much more knowledgeable in philosophy than I will ever be.
Glen wrote: "Thanks for the suggestion. I don't understand the "no spoilers" clause when they're reviewing chapters as they read a book."Kate explained it nicely. It just makes sure that those who are reading along with the schedule and we are in, say, the week for chapters through 42 don't get ambushed by comments concerning things that happen in chapter 51. I hate it when people spoil the endings of books for me by letting on what happens, so the spoiler policy is hard and fast.
We would love to have you come over and check us out. The latest Interim Read will be posted within the next hour, and then Huckleberry Finn is our next major read. I think it will be an eye opener for those who, like me up to a few weeks ago, thought of HF as just a children's book. It's not!
Kate
I would probably wait until the book was finished and finish my notes and a review before I would comment We all have our personal focus on a book, and I usually do not want to be distracted from my train of thought. The more discussion, the more homogenous the view will be. Sort of like a jury. Dominant and informed opinions will influence the group as a whole.
An example: Howards End by E.M. Forster. Got into a discussion with an instructor that was well informed about the book and author. He could give a complete summary and the major themes of the book etc. etc. The only thing that really interested me about the book were the few lines about "love of place" as an alternative to relationships. I also saw it as the beginning of alienation by people living in large urban areas (the expansion of geater London) I told him the book reminded by of the book "Future Shock". I'm sure if I was sitting in his class, my related experiences and books I have read would be diminished in my attempts to keep with the program and co-operate with the group or the instructor.
I will join the group but will probably not participate in the group read. Thanks again.
I would probably wait until the book was finished and finish my notes and a review before I would comment We all have our personal focus on a book, and I usually do not want to be distracted from my train of thought. The more discussion, the more homogenous the view will be. Sort of like a jury. Dominant and informed opinions will influence the group as a whole.
An example: Howards End by E.M. Forster. Got into a discussion with an instructor that was well informed about the book and author. He could give a complete summary and the major themes of the book etc. etc. The only thing that really interested me about the book were the few lines about "love of place" as an alternative to relationships. I also saw it as the beginning of alienation by people living in large urban areas (the expansion of geater London) I told him the book reminded by of the book "Future Shock". I'm sure if I was sitting in his class, my related experiences and books I have read would be diminished in my attempts to keep with the program and co-operate with the group or the instructor.
I will join the group but will probably not participate in the group read. Thanks again.
Glen wrote: "The more discussion, the more homogenous the view will be. Sort of like a jury. Dominant and informed opinions will influence the group as a whole. "
I can understand your position, and you definitely have a point about a group's tendency to build consensus. (As well as the likelihood of assertive people controlling the dialogue :D) I hope you'll at least join in on the later parts of the discussion and add your insights.
To get the Glen wrote: thing you click the reply button under the comment you want to reply to. It will start a new comment that will automatically include the first few lines of the original message. You can edit that by doing standard cut and paste, just be sure to leave the <> symbols at the beginning and the at the end. They are the html code that provide the italics. (If you do this you'll see what I'm talking about. They are visible to you as you're typing but they're hidden once you post your comment.)
You can always go back and edit (or delete) a comment you've posted as well. Just use the clickable link on the lower right side.
I can understand your position, and you definitely have a point about a group's tendency to build consensus. (As well as the likelihood of assertive people controlling the dialogue :D) I hope you'll at least join in on the later parts of the discussion and add your insights.
To get the Glen wrote: thing you click the reply button under the comment you want to reply to. It will start a new comment that will automatically include the first few lines of the original message. You can edit that by doing standard cut and paste, just be sure to leave the <> symbols at the beginning and the at the end. They are the html code that provide the italics. (If you do this you'll see what I'm talking about. They are visible to you as you're typing but they're hidden once you post your comment.)
You can always go back and edit (or delete) a comment you've posted as well. Just use the clickable link on the lower right side.
Kate wrote: "Glen wrote: "The more discussion, the more homogenous the view will be. Sort of like a jury. Dominant and informed opinions will influence the group as a whole. "
I can understand your position, a..."
Thanks for the help.
Glen
I can understand your position, a..."
Thanks for the help.
Glen
Everyman wrote: "Glen wrote: "Thanks for the suggestion. I don't understand the "no spoilers" clause when they're reviewing chapters as they read a book."
Kate explained it nicely. It just makes sure that those ..."
HF is a good book and you should enjoy it. I recently read "Anne of Green Gables" which is sort of a female Tom Sawyer. It's a positive story about a red headed orphan girl. It's like Captains Courageous, an easy read with a strong message. HF is more sophisticated but they all can be read at different levels for different audiences. I think Anne influenced a lot of girls in North America particularly in the early 20th century.
Kate explained it nicely. It just makes sure that those ..."
HF is a good book and you should enjoy it. I recently read "Anne of Green Gables" which is sort of a female Tom Sawyer. It's a positive story about a red headed orphan girl. It's like Captains Courageous, an easy read with a strong message. HF is more sophisticated but they all can be read at different levels for different audiences. I think Anne influenced a lot of girls in North America particularly in the early 20th century.
The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910
Books mentioned in this topic
The Sorrows of Young Werther (other topics)Being and Nothingness (other topics)
Perhaps I have to read Part II to resolve my issues with Part I. Goethe wrote the piece over many years and had added parts which have little to do with his orginal plot line. He asks many philosophical questions in his work but to me, it is not particularly great writing. The language is simple which makes it a rather easy read. For some reason the language reminded me of "Antigone" which I read in high school. Perhaps that was his intention.
His character Faust seems easily fooled or he just likes to blame anyone or anything for his weakness in character. He gives intellectualism a bad name. His actions and his conceit are hard to comprehend.
I would like to hear from anyone who has read this book before I consider buying Book II. I don't usually read poetry but Paradise Lost encouraged me to read other famous works like Faust and Don Juan.