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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I must confess, when I first picked up this book and took a brief glance inside, I was intimidated by it, in fact I thought I would hate it since I’m not exactly a big fan of verse form and I have an intuitive aversion to compulsory school reading. However, here I am, writing a five star review for it.
“Faust” (I part) is a work with layered depth and variety of metaphors carrying itself in the elegant rhythm of poetry. It conveys to us in a meandering text its philosophy on the essentials of mankind and their endeavours.
But it is not an easy read, this book requires concentration and the desire to understand and interpret it. However, if you get used to it, you can completely lose yourself in the middle of the poetry flowing its steady and elegant rhythm.
Still, I find it difficult to write this review: there was something about this work that drew me in and called me back, yet I can’t pinpoint what it was…
“Faust'' was a book that had a meaning to it, which I didn't immediately grasp: this story requires more reflection. However, something that stood out to me was that the character of Mephisto (satan) reflected many of humanity's flaws. I think that the prologue, when Mephisto is allowed to go to heaven, reflects the fact that the world was created (by god) with good and evil in its balance. They coexist and one never excludes the other and good may not always be the opposite of evil – sometimes they go hand in hand.
Mephisto's character is intriguing, and his vices are also very recognizable in humans. I wonder if Goethe noticed the hedonistic and sinful behaviour of people and reflected on how the devil does not symbolise the evil of people, but we humans have a side that symbolises the devil instead.
Morality, sins and redemption are definitely prominent themes in the book. Perhaps Goethe's message was that true morality endures through injustice -- as Gretchen did when she was unjustly executed, but when she did not waver in her faith. Gretchen's character was generally interesting, but I couldn't see through what she symbolised. Since there are many references to the Bible in the work, it could always be compared to it--could Gretchen symbolise the opposite of Eve? I don't know, but I liked that she was the only one who saw through Mephisto's true nature and shunned him, unlike naive Eve who gave in to the serpent's charms
Also, the underlying philosophy of this piece seemed to be that no matter how many times a person makes mistakes, their sins can always be redeemed as long as they strive to be better. This was quite a progressive way of thinking for that era, although sometimes this understanding of religion gives people excuses not to take responsibility for their actions
Overall, I found this book to be a very enjoyable reading experience, but at the same time sufficiently challenging and thought provoking. The verse form in Faust was accessible and fascinating to me which was definitely surprising as I have usually despised verse form, at least so far. Anyway: if you also have to read this for school and feel like you absolutely don’t want to then I urge you to give it a try, maybe you’ll surprise yourself:)
“Faust” (I part) is a work with layered depth and variety of metaphors carrying itself in the elegant rhythm of poetry. It conveys to us in a meandering text its philosophy on the essentials of mankind and their endeavours.
But it is not an easy read, this book requires concentration and the desire to understand and interpret it. However, if you get used to it, you can completely lose yourself in the middle of the poetry flowing its steady and elegant rhythm.
Still, I find it difficult to write this review: there was something about this work that drew me in and called me back, yet I can’t pinpoint what it was…
“Faust'' was a book that had a meaning to it, which I didn't immediately grasp: this story requires more reflection. However, something that stood out to me was that the character of Mephisto (satan) reflected many of humanity's flaws. I think that the prologue, when Mephisto is allowed to go to heaven, reflects the fact that the world was created (by god) with good and evil in its balance. They coexist and one never excludes the other and good may not always be the opposite of evil – sometimes they go hand in hand.
Mephisto's character is intriguing, and his vices are also very recognizable in humans. I wonder if Goethe noticed the hedonistic and sinful behaviour of people and reflected on how the devil does not symbolise the evil of people, but we humans have a side that symbolises the devil instead.
Morality, sins and redemption are definitely prominent themes in the book. Perhaps Goethe's message was that true morality endures through injustice -- as Gretchen did when she was unjustly executed, but when she did not waver in her faith. Gretchen's character was generally interesting, but I couldn't see through what she symbolised. Since there are many references to the Bible in the work, it could always be compared to it--could Gretchen symbolise the opposite of Eve? I don't know, but I liked that she was the only one who saw through Mephisto's true nature and shunned him, unlike naive Eve who gave in to the serpent's charms
Also, the underlying philosophy of this piece seemed to be that no matter how many times a person makes mistakes, their sins can always be redeemed as long as they strive to be better. This was quite a progressive way of thinking for that era, although sometimes this understanding of religion gives people excuses not to take responsibility for their actions
Overall, I found this book to be a very enjoyable reading experience, but at the same time sufficiently challenging and thought provoking. The verse form in Faust was accessible and fascinating to me which was definitely surprising as I have usually despised verse form, at least so far. Anyway: if you also have to read this for school and feel like you absolutely don’t want to then I urge you to give it a try, maybe you’ll surprise yourself:)
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a well performed audiobook. It made it easy to listen to.
The story is a little weird and I got a bit confused at times but that could be partly because it's abridged, and partly because I get distracted by the rhyming. To be honest, when reading or listening to rhyming verse, sometimes I listen to how it sounds and forget what the words mean.
I don't think this should be called the greatest work in German literature by any means. But I get why it becomes a "memeable" character and is referenced in other literature through decades.
I agree with everyone in the reviews that says Faust is creepy. There's nothing much to like about him and that makes it all a little boring. But the story as a whole was easier to listen to and understand than I expected.
The story is a little weird and I got a bit confused at times but that could be partly because it's abridged, and partly because I get distracted by the rhyming. To be honest, when reading or listening to rhyming verse, sometimes I listen to how it sounds and forget what the words mean.
I don't think this should be called the greatest work in German literature by any means. But I get why it becomes a "memeable" character and is referenced in other literature through decades.
I agree with everyone in the reviews that says Faust is creepy. There's nothing much to like about him and that makes it all a little boring. But the story as a whole was easier to listen to and understand than I expected.
Ew
If this is your magnum opus... I fear you've done something wrong
If this is your magnum opus... I fear you've done something wrong
There are a couple of comic book characters that use the name Faust so I've always been curious about this one. My curiosity is now satisfied but I'll stick with the comics. I give it the second star for some of the verses being nicely written but the story itself is off-putting. It actually reminds me of the Billy Joel song, "Only the good die young". An old guy trying to get in a young womans pants.