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A review by michelle610
Faust, Part Two by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed the second part much more than the first part of the book. Even though the plot is based on the tale of a medieval legend who sold his soul to the devil, it actually applies to our modern sense of alienation and confusion around the world we live in. The book was written over Goethe’s entire life, beginning in his twenties and finished in his eighties before he die. It’s operatic extravaganza tone is a vivid reflection of its time around the 17th century. While Goethe called this book a tragedy, I personally see it as a comedy with a satirical sense of humour, sometimes aphoristic style of writing and a good ending as Faust achieved his final salvation in the end, which could be seen as tragic since Faust does not exactly deserve heaven.
The basic plot is about a well-respected but bored doctor Faust who made a deal with the devil Mephistopheles to exchange his soul for true satisfaction from unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Because Doctor Faust is God’s favourite, the devil made a bet with the God to corrupt Faust from his goodness and prove to god no human is worth saving. This then led Faust and the devil to a series of adventures, all with tragic endings. When he finally died as a rich and experienced man, however, the angels decided to save his soul from hell because his relentless striving for progress during his lifetime despite of the fact that he agreed to sell his soul to the devil.
Personally, I much prefer the second part which was an explosion of sublime poetry of landscapes and grand mystical adventures that reveal truth about a range of more touching concepts such as power, money and attachment compare to the relatively trifle, domestic and melodramatic part I about an ill-fated love between Faust and Gretchen. For example, in Part II when Faust and Mephistopheles introduced paper money in their “magic act” as a way to restore the emperor’s economic depression, it leaves a satirical remark on our own assumption of the real value of currency.
To enjoy this book, readers need to read between the lines and think about not what the plot is saying but what it is implying as a metaphor.
The basic plot is about a well-respected but bored doctor Faust who made a deal with the devil Mephistopheles to exchange his soul for true satisfaction from unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Because Doctor Faust is God’s favourite, the devil made a bet with the God to corrupt Faust from his goodness and prove to god no human is worth saving. This then led Faust and the devil to a series of adventures, all with tragic endings. When he finally died as a rich and experienced man, however, the angels decided to save his soul from hell because his relentless striving for progress during his lifetime despite of the fact that he agreed to sell his soul to the devil.
Personally, I much prefer the second part which was an explosion of sublime poetry of landscapes and grand mystical adventures that reveal truth about a range of more touching concepts such as power, money and attachment compare to the relatively trifle, domestic and melodramatic part I about an ill-fated love between Faust and Gretchen. For example, in Part II when Faust and Mephistopheles introduced paper money in their “magic act” as a way to restore the emperor’s economic depression, it leaves a satirical remark on our own assumption of the real value of currency.
To enjoy this book, readers need to read between the lines and think about not what the plot is saying but what it is implying as a metaphor.