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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
Part I is a engaging, rollicking, mostly satirical version of various sources (the Faust legend and Job come immediately to mind). At least in the beginning, when Faust is mostly divided between haughtiness and wonder and Mephistopheles is always good for a laugh. Then Gretchen, and Gretchen's sins, show up, and the play gets quite serious and hits some very high notes. Goethe is far too human to be a terribly rigorous Christian, and it makes the ending of the play that much better.
Part II is a different beast. Greek allusions, in content and structure, form much of the second part. And while I enjoy feeling smug when I get the references, and don't mind occasionally looking things up, the focus on Helen and the Emperor means the play meanders a lot more than the first part, and not to its benefit. However, as in Part I, the ending is sublime, with Goethe once again failing to be a Christian and doing much better for it. Mephistopheles' last scene was wonderful, and, though I haven't read Paradise yet, I suspect I will enjoy Goethe's version much more than Dante's.
Part II is a different beast. Greek allusions, in content and structure, form much of the second part. And while I enjoy feeling smug when I get the references, and don't mind occasionally looking things up, the focus on Helen and the Emperor means the play meanders a lot more than the first part, and not to its benefit. However, as in Part I, the ending is sublime, with Goethe once again failing to be a Christian and doing much better for it. Mephistopheles' last scene was wonderful, and, though I haven't read Paradise yet, I suspect I will enjoy Goethe's version much more than Dante's.
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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
There is little reason to repeat a summary of this famous tale. Book 1 is a more worldly story (and for that, the more compelling) and Book 2 is highly symbolic and abstract. Each are worthy of heavy study to appreciate the breadth of Goethe's vision, though most who think of the story attempt to speak it in two sentences, a real crippling of what is here. Decidedly, Goethe is not merely telling the story of a "deal with the devil."
The Priest translation was a delight to read, but also somewhat troubling. Though recommended by Thomas Mann (high praise), it is an earlier English translation and makes some choices that are perhaps problematic. All in rhythmic and rhymed verse (following Goethe's style), Priest could not have accomplished this and also retained all of Goethe's meaningful nuances. While this version does not have the original German text alongside it (and I can scarce read German in any event), it is difficult to make a measure of its accuracy. For this read, then, I enjoyed the musical and poetic spirit of the drama, recognizing that some of the details I met were likely altered in some way. I will seek a different translation for more careful study.
In the meantime, if you are looking for a worthy English translation that captures the fundamental story of Faust's (and, of course, Mephistopheles's) journey, I recommend it.
The Priest translation was a delight to read, but also somewhat troubling. Though recommended by Thomas Mann (high praise), it is an earlier English translation and makes some choices that are perhaps problematic. All in rhythmic and rhymed verse (following Goethe's style), Priest could not have accomplished this and also retained all of Goethe's meaningful nuances. While this version does not have the original German text alongside it (and I can scarce read German in any event), it is difficult to make a measure of its accuracy. For this read, then, I enjoyed the musical and poetic spirit of the drama, recognizing that some of the details I met were likely altered in some way. I will seek a different translation for more careful study.
In the meantime, if you are looking for a worthy English translation that captures the fundamental story of Faust's (and, of course, Mephistopheles's) journey, I recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Death
Minor: Child death
Well... I really hate this book. Expecting something close to Die Leiden des jungen Werther, and with close to I mean just as beautiful, relatable and compelling, I was more than disappointed. I was frustrated, deeply and truly frustrated.
So part 1 was okay, like, it was readable and understandable. But part 2? It was just fucked up! Just when I thought I had finally understood what was going on, some choir of ants popped out of nowhere. It seemed as if Goethe just knew everybody adored him and he could get away with any piece of shit - excuse my language.
So part 1 was okay, like, it was readable and understandable. But part 2? It was just fucked up! Just when I thought I had finally understood what was going on, some choir of ants popped out of nowhere. It seemed as if Goethe just knew everybody adored him and he could get away with any piece of shit - excuse my language.
this book is trash. at least first part is kinda good (because of it i gave 2 stars) but the second part is a mess. i literally skipped the scenes with helene and it didnt even changed anything
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced