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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
Dummes Buch für das Goethe dumme 40 Jahre gebraucht hat. Alter Mann lässt sich vom Teufel umschmachten, wieder jung zaubern, verführt dann eine arme 14 Jährige, schwängert diese, tötet ihren Bruder, lässt sie alleine durch eine Abtreibung gehen, lässt sie dafür dann ins Gefängnis geschmissen werden und lässt sie einfach sterben.
I read this book for my Christmas holiday in German (obviously with the translation because oh God, im not that fluent yet and in addition the language was incredibly harder compared to other Goethe's works) and oh God, was I amazed. Everytime I read something from this author, it seems like a different Goethe! But deep down there's always this quid that says, oh yeah it's him. I gotta admit that I didn't like this one as much as, per say, the Werther or other books. It was quite hard to read, especially the first part of it. It's probably because I'm still too immature, or it's because it's a wirk that needs to be reread, analyzed in every detail, studied thoroughly, and especially must be watched! Portrayed in a theater, where it belongs. The story between Faust and Gretchen was incredibly sad and tragic, perfect for a, oh well, tragedy. But there were other parts I had to reread a lot of times, to grasp the meaning (which I'm still unsure about). A masterpiece indeed, just not my thing. Absolutely not recommend this if you are in a reader's block or don't like "heavy" books!
(Is it just me or does Mephistopheles kinda speak like Lucifer sometimes?)
(Is it just me or does Mephistopheles kinda speak like Lucifer sometimes?)
3.25 stars
I'll divide this into Parts I & II.
Part I: 4 stars
So good. So intriguing. This is the second work by Goethe that I read this year and my God this didn't disappoint. I love the tale of the deal with the devil. In my culture, this appears as the story of Jan Twardowski and in my school Polish classes we often mentioned Faust when we talked of the Jan Twardowski myth. Hence, I was very excited to read this esteemed work. Part I is very interesting as it is a classic corruption arc (I saw many similarities to The Picture of Dorian Grey even with Gretchen playing the part of Sybil Vane to an extent). It is entertaining to watch this renowned Doctor end up at a witch+devil thing orgy/party at the end and decide to go on a rescue mission. It is also interesting how Faust can't be said to be purely evil or purely good: even though he sets up the deal with Mephistopheles, he does so for purposes of science. Likewise, he doesn't know the sleeping potion would kill Gretchen's mother, although he did give it to the girl for the selfish reason of having more intimate time with her. The aspect of alchemy and witchcraft was gruesome and fascinating as well. I thoroughly enjoyed this first part.
Part II: 2.75 stars
Now here is where Goethe lost me a bit. Where Part I, for all its dealings with magical black poodles, witch coven parties, and demonic bargains, is quite grounded in its themes and plot, Part II goes off the rails. The entire thing with Homunculus just didn't click with me. I kind of see where this was going. A creature of child-like wonder discovering its identity. That entire part with the journey to the underworld was too pointlessly convoluted also. I enjoyed it enough, but in comparison with Part I this just didn't hold up unfortunately. Its main redeeming quality was the ending though I wonder if God stepping in and essentially saving Faust after dealing with Mephisto was controversial at the time because it seems to say the ends justify the means of achieving things and that things aren't as easily "good" and "evil" as people thought classically. Would love to discuss this in a class setting.
I'll divide this into Parts I & II.
Part I: 4 stars
So good. So intriguing. This is the second work by Goethe that I read this year and my God this didn't disappoint. I love the tale of the deal with the devil. In my culture, this appears as the story of Jan Twardowski and in my school Polish classes we often mentioned Faust when we talked of the Jan Twardowski myth. Hence, I was very excited to read this esteemed work. Part I is very interesting as it is a classic corruption arc (I saw many similarities to The Picture of Dorian Grey even with Gretchen playing the part of Sybil Vane to an extent). It is entertaining to watch this renowned Doctor end up at a witch+devil thing orgy/party at the end and decide to go on a rescue mission. It is also interesting how Faust can't be said to be purely evil or purely good: even though he sets up the deal with Mephistopheles, he does so for purposes of science. Likewise, he doesn't know the sleeping potion would kill Gretchen's mother, although he did give it to the girl for the selfish reason of having more intimate time with her. The aspect of alchemy and witchcraft was gruesome and fascinating as well. I thoroughly enjoyed this first part.
Part II: 2.75 stars
Now here is where Goethe lost me a bit. Where Part I, for all its dealings with magical black poodles, witch coven parties, and demonic bargains, is quite grounded in its themes and plot, Part II goes off the rails. The entire thing with Homunculus just didn't click with me. I kind of see where this was going. A creature of child-like wonder discovering its identity. That entire part with the journey to the underworld was too pointlessly convoluted also. I enjoyed it enough, but in comparison with Part I this just didn't hold up unfortunately. Its main redeeming quality was the ending though I wonder if God stepping in and essentially saving Faust after dealing with Mephisto was controversial at the time because it seems to say the ends justify the means of achieving things and that things aren't as easily "good" and "evil" as people thought classically. Would love to discuss this in a class setting.
yes, 5 stars.
this book is so ridiculous and the more time you spend thinking about it the more ridiculous it gets. and when you start thinking about how goethe spent over 30 years writing this it becomes a true teufelskreis about you not being able to decide if you think it's hilarious that he spent so long writing this tiny a** book or if it is totally understandable that he needed that much time to write this because it actually is a masterpiece.
this book is so ridiculous and the more time you spend thinking about it the more ridiculous it gets. and when you start thinking about how goethe spent over 30 years writing this it becomes a true teufelskreis about you not being able to decide if you think it's hilarious that he spent so long writing this tiny a** book or if it is totally understandable that he needed that much time to write this because it actually is a masterpiece.
slow-paced
در این که فاوست کتابی مهم در ادبیات هست شکی نیست، اما من با اینکه بخش اول رو خیلی دوست داشتم، نتونستم آنچنان با بخش دوم ارتباط برقرار کنم.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Like most great works of ancient literature, it's hard to reconcile that this is widely considered the greatest fiction produced in the German language. It's a great poem and one well translated here, timeless and full of deep meaning. Still, some sections of it went well over my head on this first reading. It's a hard thing to comprehend such an old and well-lauded work. I can only hope that this, like the Ancient Mariner, will mature and grow in meaning and stature in my mind as I reconsider it.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
