Goethe (1)
Author of Faust
For other authors named Goethe, see the disambiguation page.
Goethe (1) has been aliased into Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Works by Goethe
Works have been aliased into Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Faust (abridged) 4 copies
Goethe's Works 3 copies
Guglielmo Meister 2 copies
Goethe's Autobiography and Annals 2 copies
obras Completas II 2 copies
Goethes Werke 6-8 2 copies
Goethes Werke - Siebenter Band 2 copies
Goethes Werke Band 1-14 1 copy
Goethes schlechteste Gedichte: Mit Cartoons von Hauck & Bauer: Mit Cartoons von Hauck & Bauer (2021) 1 copy
The New Mesulina 1 copy
Die Wahlverwandt schaften — Author — 1 copy
Johann Wolfgang 1832 1982 1 copy
Werther Reineke El Zorro 1 copy
teatro 1 copy
WERTHER (10) 1 copy
il serpente verde 1 copy
West-östlicher Divan 1 copy
La métamorphose des plantes 1 copy
Goethes Werfe. Erster Band 1 copy
Populart Füzetek 45. - Faust 1 copy
Opere 1 copy
Prometeu 1 copy
Knjiga poezije 1 copy
Goethes Werke 1-2 1 copy
Goethes Werke 10-12 1 copy
Goethes Werke 3-4 1 copy
Romantische Marchen 1 copy
Samtliche Werke (Goethe's Complete Works), Band 10, (Volume 10, parts 1 & 2) Faust. (in German) 1 copy
Granite (F) 1 copy
Poésies lyriques 1 copy
Die flassisyen Dramen 1 copy
De gode koner 1 copy
Goethe en Roma 2010 1 copy
De Natuur 1 copy
Pensées 1 copy
Proza 1 copy
Poeme epice 1 copy
GOETHE - Poésies (des origines au voyage en Italie) Tome 2 - Collection Bilingue - Aubier: Editions Montaigne - 1965 - (1965) 1 copy
Goethe's Werke , 1 copy
Associated Works
Works have been aliased into Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Gounod : Faust {score : vocal} {Schirmer/1986 Martin} {French/English} (1986) — Original author — 20 copies
Gounod : Faust {score : vocal} {Schirmer/1902 Baker} {French/English} (1902) — Original author — 12 copies
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Folio Archives 12 : Faust, Goethe in Folio Society Devotees (May 2025)
January-March Group Read - Faust by Goethe in Geeks who love the Classics (March 2023)
Reviews
[Faust], Johann von Goethe's influential version of the Faust legend, is a play in verse. Oh how I wish this had been prose. Rhyme and rhythm, I regret to say, didn't enhance the tale for me. Rather it gave me considerable difficulty in untangling the meaning of passages. Sentence structure is frequently convoluted. I caught my brain reading passages in nonsensical sing-song, disregarding punctuation and ultimately losing meaning.
In this telling, Faust is a medieval scholar and alchemist show more who's chaffed because he hasn't been able to master all the knowledge in the universe. Yes, he makes a deal with the devil, but the devil previously has made a deal with The Almighty. In the prologue, Mephistopheles crashes a gathering of the Heavenly Hosts to grouse about the lives of men on earth.
"Must you endlessly complain?" asks The Almighty. "Is nothing ever right on earth?"
"No, Lord, life is as rotten as before!"
"Do you know Faust?" asks The Almighty, asserting the Doctor is His servant, and implying that the Devil might tempt him but won't win him over.
Mephistopheles dares the Lord: "What do you wager? You will lose that man/If you permit me then to lead/Him subtly into the path I plan." And the Lord accepts the challenge.
Needless to say, the frustrated Faust is quite easily persuaded by Mephistopheles. But instead of leading Faust into greater learning, he leads him into debauchery. He introduces Faust to an innocent young girl called Gretchen in some scenes, Margarete in others. (In my head: "Her name was Magill, and she called herself Lil, but everyone knew her as Nancy.") Pregnant with Faust's child, Gretchen sees her family and future fall apart. After his birth, she drowns her son. As sheperishes, a Chorus of Angels appears and welcomes her into heaven. Faust is left with Mephistopheles.
The edition I read, published in 1959 by Heritage Press, presents only Part I of Goethe's two-part work. I have the impression from reviews by other LTers that Part II isn't very good, which may be why HP didn't present the full work. Fine with me. I'm proud of myself for reading Goethe's Faust. (The Devil made me do it!) show less
In this telling, Faust is a medieval scholar and alchemist show more who's chaffed because he hasn't been able to master all the knowledge in the universe. Yes, he makes a deal with the devil, but the devil previously has made a deal with The Almighty. In the prologue, Mephistopheles crashes a gathering of the Heavenly Hosts to grouse about the lives of men on earth.
"Must you endlessly complain?" asks The Almighty. "Is nothing ever right on earth?"
"No, Lord, life is as rotten as before!"
"Do you know Faust?" asks The Almighty, asserting the Doctor is His servant, and implying that the Devil might tempt him but won't win him over.
Mephistopheles dares the Lord: "What do you wager? You will lose that man/If you permit me then to lead/Him subtly into the path I plan." And the Lord accepts the challenge.
Needless to say, the frustrated Faust is quite easily persuaded by Mephistopheles. But instead of leading Faust into greater learning, he leads him into debauchery. He introduces Faust to an innocent young girl called Gretchen in some scenes, Margarete in others. (In my head: "Her name was Magill, and she called herself Lil, but everyone knew her as Nancy.") Pregnant with Faust's child, Gretchen sees her family and future fall apart. After his birth, she drowns her son. As sheperishes, a Chorus of Angels appears and welcomes her into heaven. Faust is left with Mephistopheles.
The edition I read, published in 1959 by Heritage Press, presents only Part I of Goethe's two-part work. I have the impression from reviews by other LTers that Part II isn't very good, which may be why HP didn't present the full work. Fine with me. I'm proud of myself for reading Goethe's Faust. (The Devil made me do it!) show less
Although it's been staged, Goethe's Faust is described as a "dramatic poem" and at least in the translation I've read (Walter Kaufman for Part One) reads much more to me like Milton than Shakespeare. Indeed, there are to my ear echoes of Milton--and The Book of Job for that matter--in the Prologue where God and the devil Mephistopheles have a discussion that results in putting the soul of Faust into play. A lot of the of the plot and even some lines were familiar to me from classical music. show more Operas by Gounod and Boito, an oratorio by Berlioz and German lied by Schubert and Schumann among other works were adapted from from Goethe. I really got a kick out of recognizing the inspiration for Gounod's "Jewel Song" and Schubert's "Gretchen at her Spinning Wheel." Most of those adaptations only deal with Part One of the two part work, and for good reason. Part One was mostly a joy to read. The language is often striking and gorgeous and only one small segment made me go huh? (The Walpurgis Night's Dream with the Wedding of Oberon and Titania, which didn't seem to contribute to the plot or theme.) Mephistopheles first shows up by Faust's side as a poodle, and he helps a lot in cutting a lot of Faust's often high-flown language with his acid sarcasm, and I actually found a lot of humor in the first part of the poem--such as the scene where Martha flirted with Mephistopheles. If I were rating just Part One, I'd give Faust five stars for an amazing read.
Part Two is a different matter altogether. In the book featuring the Kaufman translation, only the first scene and the last Act of Part Two is included. In the introduction Kaufman defends this saying it is his "hope that those who who would like to enjoy Goethe's Faust--as opposed to those who want to be able to say that they have read it, all of it" should find his edition to their liking. Well, I'm stubborn--and I did want to read all of it. Among the reasons Faust was listed in Good Reading's "100 Significant Books." Faust isn't just a classic--it's a formative, incredibly influential classic, and I've found in tackling those you aren't just entertained--you're educated. So, I read Part Two in another edition and translation. And found Kaufman is right. Part Two isn't enjoyable. It seems almost an entirely different work without the Gretchen element and with long static, weird set pieces that include Faust involving himself with Helen of Troy. Indeed, Faust disappears for long stretches in this part--so much of which seemed bizarre. I didn't like Part Two much at all. And not just as a reader wanting to be entertained. If there's one thing I've learned about myself reading the classics, it is that I like a sense of unity and structure, and have held it against works such as Moby Dick, War and Peace and Les Miserables when they seem to go off the rails in self-indulgent pedantry and digressions. I adore Dante, and Dante is erudite--and his philosophy very much opposed to mine. But I'm awed by the structure of The Divine Comedy. Nothing, but nothing is superfluous--down to the rhyming scheme and the number of Cantos. I can't say the same of Faust, particularly Part Two. For me Part Two is just one big huh?? and incredibly tedious. Maybe I'm missing something, but no, I can't say I got a lot out of Part Two, thus why this is winding up with a much lower rating than if I were reviewing Part One alone. show less
Part Two is a different matter altogether. In the book featuring the Kaufman translation, only the first scene and the last Act of Part Two is included. In the introduction Kaufman defends this saying it is his "hope that those who who would like to enjoy Goethe's Faust--as opposed to those who want to be able to say that they have read it, all of it" should find his edition to their liking. Well, I'm stubborn--and I did want to read all of it. Among the reasons Faust was listed in Good Reading's "100 Significant Books." Faust isn't just a classic--it's a formative, incredibly influential classic, and I've found in tackling those you aren't just entertained--you're educated. So, I read Part Two in another edition and translation. And found Kaufman is right. Part Two isn't enjoyable. It seems almost an entirely different work without the Gretchen element and with long static, weird set pieces that include Faust involving himself with Helen of Troy. Indeed, Faust disappears for long stretches in this part--so much of which seemed bizarre. I didn't like Part Two much at all. And not just as a reader wanting to be entertained. If there's one thing I've learned about myself reading the classics, it is that I like a sense of unity and structure, and have held it against works such as Moby Dick, War and Peace and Les Miserables when they seem to go off the rails in self-indulgent pedantry and digressions. I adore Dante, and Dante is erudite--and his philosophy very much opposed to mine. But I'm awed by the structure of The Divine Comedy. Nothing, but nothing is superfluous--down to the rhyming scheme and the number of Cantos. I can't say the same of Faust, particularly Part Two. For me Part Two is just one big huh?? and incredibly tedious. Maybe I'm missing something, but no, I can't say I got a lot out of Part Two, thus why this is winding up with a much lower rating than if I were reviewing Part One alone. show less
As with the Marlowe [b:Doctor Faustus|731756|Doctor Faustus|Christopher Marlowe|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348703169s/731756.jpg|756664], I'm a little disappointed with this Critical Edition. This one also lacks an introduction which ties the Goethe work in with the literary history of the Faust myth, and once again the Context section, while excellent, is concerned only with the composition of Goethe's work. Given that this is essentially Goethe's lifework, this focus is not show more unwarranted, but it does feel a bit one-sided. The text is surprisingly -- sometimes frustratingly -- unglossed, with the occasional footnote serving to clarify a stage direction, highlight a change of metre, or explain a reference to Greek mythology.
One of the most pressing questions I had upon re-reading this was left unanswered: how could any theater company manage to stage this thing? In film, sure, it would be manageable. As a stage production, it calls for a cast of thousands, transformations of characters to and from animal form, an elephant(!), a talking 'tiny man in a test tube' ("homonculus", for those in the know), a talking horde of insects, the single-scene traversing of a mountain range, the raising of a mountain mid-scene, and so on. The Norton Critical Editions usually include a section of the production history of the play, and this section is conspicuously absent in what may be the only time I was interested in reading it.
Goethe's telling of the Faust tale is pretty much an adaptation of the myth, much as Sokurov's 2011 film was an adaptation of Part One of Goethe's Faust. In each case, the original tale is recognizable, but key aspects are changed in order to modernize the telling.
In Goethe's version, Faust makes a pact with the devil, sure; but he also makes a wager, telling Mephistopholes that his mortal life will end as soon as he is satisfied (whether this condition is met, or Faust simply dies of old age, is up to interpretation).
This allows Goethe to make use of fifty years of fausttime instead of the usual 24, but it also allows him to introduce his other main innovation: the loophole which allows Faust's soul to be saved when he dies (note: even if Marlowe pioneered this, as Epson claims in [b:Faustus and the Censor: The English Faust-Book and Marlowe's Doctor Faustus|841003|Faustus and the Censor The English Faust-Book and Marlowe's Doctor Faustus|William Empson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|826550], Goethe was unlikely to know about it). A handful of lines from the Prologue In Heaven, Great Outer Precinct of the Palace, and Mountain Gorges provide the justification:
It is uncertain whether Faust knew about the "Whoever strives..." loophole. On the one hand, he is never portrayed by Goethe as being that savvy, or even any good at litigation or logic. On the other hand, he specifically makes the wager with Mephistopheles whose core tenet ("my life will end as soon as I am satisfied") causes the loophole ("he who is always striving during life") to automatically kick in. No matter what happens with the wager, Faust wins: by its very definition, he has been striving every moment of his life. Imagine what Marlowe could have done with that idea!
The Norton text uses the Arndt translation. Here are the same lines from the Kaufmann translation, which I rather prefer:
The final innovation of Goethe in the Faust legend is, of course, an obsession of Faust with The Feminine (which includes the introduction of the Gretchen/Margete storyline). The less said about this the better -- Goethe is a Romantic Poet, so one cannot fault him for being a product of his time. Still, that cynical line from Danny DeVito in Twins keeps coming to mind: "They're strange and sensitive. They have compassion. I have the highest respect for Woman. " -- "My god, you're a virgin!"
Being a Romantic Poet also means that Goethe couldn't help himself, and had to cram Part Two full of phantasmagoric scenes from antiquity: Charming Landscape, Spacious Hall, and all of Acts III and IV are rife with the stuff. Even Part One doesn't escape, with Walpurgis Night's Dream wandering rather far from the plot. The Interpretive Notes amusingly remark that these scenes do the reader no favors, and they would be spectacular if only they could be staged, but that nevertheless they demonstrate the richness of Goethe's symbolism, and the depth of his reading. Well, what else would you expect from someone who gets paid to read Goethe, eh?
Despite being a chore for the modern reader -- to whom the world of antiquity has been eclipsed by the Renaissance -- these scenes do have some merit. Most notable are the frequent and rapid changes in style: Greek characters speak in the manner of Euripedes, Faust woos Helen by introducing her to rhyme, and their son's brief life takes the form of a ballet or opera.
The only modern equivalent is Joyce's [b:Ulysses|338798|Ulysses|James Joyce|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1428891345s/338798.jpg|2368224], with its equally flexible use of style and point-of-view. Ulysses attempts to compress all of modern (at least, early-twentieth-century) life into a single day (the old macro-micro-cosm trick), and there the protean style seems to work (while being, again, a chore for the reader). Goethe seems to be attempting to compress all of antiquity into a single play, and it seems that he fails: a sequence of homages and shout-outs makes for a good tribute like one of those insufferable self-back-patting montages at the Oscars, but provides no message or insight. show less
One of the most pressing questions I had upon re-reading this was left unanswered: how could any theater company manage to stage this thing? In film, sure, it would be manageable. As a stage production, it calls for a cast of thousands, transformations of characters to and from animal form, an elephant(!), a talking 'tiny man in a test tube' ("homonculus", for those in the know), a talking horde of insects, the single-scene traversing of a mountain range, the raising of a mountain mid-scene, and so on. The Norton Critical Editions usually include a section of the production history of the play, and this section is conspicuously absent in what may be the only time I was interested in reading it.
Goethe's telling of the Faust tale is pretty much an adaptation of the myth, much as Sokurov's 2011 film was an adaptation of Part One of Goethe's Faust. In each case, the original tale is recognizable, but key aspects are changed in order to modernize the telling.
In Goethe's version, Faust makes a pact with the devil, sure; but he also makes a wager, telling Mephistopholes that his mortal life will end as soon as he is satisfied (whether this condition is met, or Faust simply dies of old age, is up to interpretation).
This allows Goethe to make use of fifty years of fausttime instead of the usual 24, but it also allows him to introduce his other main innovation: the loophole which allows Faust's soul to be saved when he dies (note: even if Marlowe pioneered this, as Epson claims in [b:Faustus and the Censor: The English Faust-Book and Marlowe's Doctor Faustus|841003|Faustus and the Censor The English Faust-Book and Marlowe's Doctor Faustus|William Empson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|826550], Goethe was unlikely to know about it). A handful of lines from the Prologue In Heaven, Great Outer Precinct of the Palace, and Mountain Gorges provide the justification:
Man all too easily grows lax and mellow,
He soon elects repose at any price. (340)
He only earns both freedom and existence
Who must reconquer them each day. (11575)
He was vouchsafed exemption;
"Whoever strives in ceaseless toil,Him we may grant redemption." (11935)
It is uncertain whether Faust knew about the "Whoever strives..." loophole. On the one hand, he is never portrayed by Goethe as being that savvy, or even any good at litigation or logic. On the other hand, he specifically makes the wager with Mephistopheles whose core tenet ("my life will end as soon as I am satisfied") causes the loophole ("he who is always striving during life") to automatically kick in. No matter what happens with the wager, Faust wins: by its very definition, he has been striving every moment of his life. Imagine what Marlowe could have done with that idea!
The Norton text uses the Arndt translation. Here are the same lines from the Kaufmann translation, which I rather prefer:
For man's activity can easily abate,
He soon prefers uninterrupted rest; (340)
Freedom and life are earned by those alone
Who conquer them each day anew. (11575)
[saved...] From evil and the grave;
"Whoever strives with all his power,
We are allowed to save." (11935)
The final innovation of Goethe in the Faust legend is, of course, an obsession of Faust with The Feminine (which includes the introduction of the Gretchen/Margete storyline). The less said about this the better -- Goethe is a Romantic Poet, so one cannot fault him for being a product of his time. Still, that cynical line from Danny DeVito in Twins keeps coming to mind: "They're strange and sensitive. They have compassion. I have the highest respect for Woman. " -- "My god, you're a virgin!"
Being a Romantic Poet also means that Goethe couldn't help himself, and had to cram Part Two full of phantasmagoric scenes from antiquity: Charming Landscape, Spacious Hall, and all of Acts III and IV are rife with the stuff. Even Part One doesn't escape, with Walpurgis Night's Dream wandering rather far from the plot. The Interpretive Notes amusingly remark that these scenes do the reader no favors, and they would be spectacular if only they could be staged, but that nevertheless they demonstrate the richness of Goethe's symbolism, and the depth of his reading. Well, what else would you expect from someone who gets paid to read Goethe, eh?
Despite being a chore for the modern reader -- to whom the world of antiquity has been eclipsed by the Renaissance -- these scenes do have some merit. Most notable are the frequent and rapid changes in style: Greek characters speak in the manner of Euripedes, Faust woos Helen by introducing her to rhyme, and their son's brief life takes the form of a ballet or opera.
The only modern equivalent is Joyce's [b:Ulysses|338798|Ulysses|James Joyce|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1428891345s/338798.jpg|2368224], with its equally flexible use of style and point-of-view. Ulysses attempts to compress all of modern (at least, early-twentieth-century) life into a single day (the old macro-micro-cosm trick), and there the protean style seems to work (while being, again, a chore for the reader). Goethe seems to be attempting to compress all of antiquity into a single play, and it seems that he fails: a sequence of homages and shout-outs makes for a good tribute like one of those insufferable self-back-patting montages at the Oscars, but provides no message or insight. show less
Clearly the best literature originally written in German, and one of the best pieces of literature in any language. Listening to an audiobook while driving is far from the best way to absorb a complex story, but at the very least, I'm now inspired to read the original in German.
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