Faust

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Book Overview

This is a new translation of Faust, Part Two by David Luke, whose translation of Faust, Part I was the winner of the European Poetry Translation Prize. Here, Luke expertly imitates the varied verse-forms of the original, and provides a highly readable and actable translation which includes an introduction, full notes, and an index of classical mythology.

About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0199536201
• ISBN13: 9780199536207
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.0" x 7.6"

Customer Reviews

Frustrating plot to understand, but worth it in the end.

Goethe's "Faust" is arguably the most important milestone in Romantic literature. Taking the famous medieval legend of Dr. Faustus and his pact with the devil, Goethe adapted the tale of old, and transformed it into a great love story, and a probing poetical tract on the nature of good and evil, salvation and damnation, failing and striving, the innate search for truth and lasting fulfilment. After his tragic love affair with Margareta in Part One, Faust is mystically restored by a band of elvin sprites during a glorious sunrise in the alps in Part Two, and he continues his quest to find that one moment of bliss that his soul cries out for, that one moment that will convince him to cease his constant striving and yearning for activity, which ironically, will seal his fate among the damned according to the agreement he made with Mephistopheles. With his diabolical companion, Faust sets out on new adventures and travels the world, often leaving destuction and confusion in his wake. He enters the employment of the Holy Roman Emperor, providing him with grand magical entertainments and helping him to defend the empire from its enemies. He also travels allegorically through poetic space and time to visit ancient Greece, the land of the legendary Helen of Troy and falls in love again. When this does not last, he attempts to build his own kingdom, and he envisions a future moment when he can see the glory of this kingdom established, a moment he wished would last forever. Does this wish damn Faust for all eternity? Who will win the battle for Faust's soul, the demons or the angels? In contrast to the clear-cut plot of Part One, Faust Part Two is a confusion of strange allegories and cryptic scenes that can often prove tedious to read, and therefore it is no surprise Goethe's admirers found it difficult to comprehend and appreciate. In fact, not many readers continue on past Part One, and few universities include Part Two for their courses in German drama and literature, which is a pity. This work should not be overlooked. To begin with, it is useful to note that Goethe admitted he intended to incorporate 3000 years of history in this drama, and to one acquaintance he declared that the Faust text was filled with contrasts that would seem like an intriguing story with beautiful imaginative pictures to the general readers, while those who could understand the symbols behind Mozart's Masonic opera, "The Magic Flute", would be able to comprehend the deeper meanings hidden in his allegorical jumbles. Hence, appreciating this work and its dramatic riches requires a daunting amount of presupposed knowledge, not only of this mystic symbolism, theology and philosophy, but also ancient and more modern mythology, literature, drama, science, not to mention world history. As one Goethean scholar once declared, to study Goethe is an education in itself. David Luke's translation is the most accessible to date, and he provides an informative introducti

It does not translate

This work is considered one of the greatest masterpieces of Western Literature. Goethe initially conceived in 1797 but finished only a few months before his death in 1832. It contains his essential message to the world. The work is considered more philosophical and poetic than dramatic, and is rarely staged. Among the problems I have with it are the line- by - line poetry. Wayne's translation may be one of the finest( I am in no position to judge) but it does not read to me as if great poetry. Goethe is said to be for German be as Dante for Italian, and Pushkin for Russian the one who most completely defines the literary language. Supposedly the nuances and tones of Faust are an encyclopedia of human mood and disposition. As a reader of this work I did not get this. I also did not find in the work sympathetic characters or a story that could be made much sense of . I found a strange mythology, a Walpurgisnacht, a panoply of mythical beings who do not arouse human sympathy. And this brings me to Faust himself, who without Gretchen( dead in part one) comes in the end to a certain form of redemption. This redemption through working for the common good ( as opposed to selfishly seeking his own pleasures and power as Faust has all along) is the great wisdom of the end. The Faust who errs and continues to try , who persists is rewarded for his persistence and salvation will be his. 'For he whose strivings never cease / Is ours for his redeeming.'In the words of Goethe as quoted in the introduction to this volume " In these lines the key to Faust's salvation is contained. in Faust himself there is an activity mounting ever higher and purer to the end,and from above eternal love which helps him in his need. All this is completely in harmony with our religious conceptions,according to which we enter bliss, not by our own strength alone, but by the divine grace vouchsafed to us.' p.11 Goethe is that rare exception the so- called ' happy genius' and he grants to his much tormented hero and in some sense alter ego, ' Faust' the happy ending of salvation. Perhaps the reader of this work who has persisted in reading it from beginning to end should also be given a bit of 'salvation' for his effort. For in my case anyway the pleasure in the reading all along , was not that great.

Great work, great translation, and great notes

The previous review is clear about the value of this translation. Knowing a bit of German, I can say that this translation does use shapes instead of forms for Gestalten. the real value of the work beyond the translation, however, especially for first time readers, is found in the notes made by David Luke. These notes are helpful for the historical context, allusions to Goethe's personal life and work, and allusions to philosophy, literature, and more ... all essential to understanding the work.

The most faithful of the translations I've read

Looking at some reviews by other reviewers, I realized that not everybody has heard of Faust or of Goethe, and I was pretty shocked.The first part of what I'm saying is about this translation. As Luke so graphically showed in his "Translator's introduction", there are many things that pull at the translator's central agenda: rhyme, metre, primary meaning, nuance, and so on, and the translator has to achieve a balance. Among the translations I've read and from snippets of what I've seen of other translations, Luke's translation is the most accurate of the ones I've read, in many ways. In other words, the compromises that Luke himself details have been executed here with near-perfection.It comes down to what you like. Luke's translation is the closest among all attempts so far to being dubbed a "universal" tranlslation. But just as we cannot have a universal programming language, we cannot have a translation that will please everybody.The positive for this translation is of course the extraordinary faithfulness to the original while maintaining rhyme. The negatives are what one would expect; the translation does not read smoothly on the line level. To clarify, a line carries over to the next line in too many cases to make for a "smooth read". An example:"Refreshment! It's your own soul that must pour / It through you, if it's to be anything."This "pour it" example siuation occurs too often, and is jarring for those who "grew up" with Arndt's or Wayne's translations.The second part of what I'm writing is about Faust itself, the Masterwork: as any German will tell you, Faust is one of the centrepieces of literature, and it is worthwhile learning German JUST to read Faust. Each person comes away from "Faust" having found that that he/she was looking for. Every person is reflected in Faust; "Faust" is the ultimate story of Man. What tempts us, what keeps us, what draws us on, what tears us, what defines us, what lies in store for us - it is all there. "Faust" is a journey everyone should undertake. There is nothing controversial here - no "God", no "Hellfire", nothing but Goethe's straightforward but not blunt, sensitive but not compromised, philosophical but not dreamy, analysis of the human situation. "Faust" is the Master thinker Goethe's sincere attempt at looking at it all; and it does not fall visibly short of the task.Part I should be read by everyone; Part II is not strictly a sequel, but in many ways is, as Wayne shows in his Introduction. Part II requires some knowledge of Greek Mythology; and does in many ways "complete the story". Only, it goes way beyond that.

The most elegant of the translations I've read

Looking at some reviews by other reviewers, I realized that not everybody has heard of Faust or of Goethe, and I was pretty shocked.The first part of what I'm saying is about this translation. As Luke so graphically showed in his "Translator's introduction", there are many things that pull at the translator's central agenda: rhyme, metre, primary meaning, nuance, and so on, and the translator has to achieve a balance. Among the translations I've read and from snippets of what I've seen of other translations, Wayne's translation has the most smooth-flowing, elegant rhyme I've seen.As positives for this translation: The elegance is unparallelled; the wit is sparkling; the metre is almost flawless; the deviation from Goethe is usually acceptable; and there is never, repeat, never, an obvious rhyme-holder word.As negatives for this translation: There is in a few cases too much of deviation from the original; Wayne at times infuses his own interpretation and character into the work; and the English, though just perfect for, say, a 1950's speaker in England (and those of us used to that kind of word-flow), may be distracting for Americans in 2000.An example of the latter: "What depth of chanting, whence the blissful tone / That lames my lifting of the fatal glass?" This is pretty representative: if "lames my lifting" does not sound pretentious or obscure, and if the elegance of it strikes you, Wayne's translation is the one for you. If on the other hand, "lames my lifting" sounds straight out of a mediaeval scroll (as I believe is the case with many Americans), then look elsewhere for a translation you will enjoy (read: Luke).Another, more involved example is in the final lines of Faust II: Wayne translates "Das unbeschreibliche / Hier ists getan" as "Here the ineffable / Wins life through love". Now that, of course is hardly a translation; but it fits in with Wayne's scheme of things - and that IS the point; Wayne has his "scheme of things", which you may or may not like.The second part of what I'm writing is about Faust itself, the Masterwork: as any German will tell you, Faust is one of the centrepieces of literature, and it is worthwhile learning German JUST to read Faust. Each person comes away from "Faust" having found that that he/she was looking for. Every person is reflected in Faust; "Faust" is the ultimate story of Man. What tempts us, what keeps us, what draws us on, what tears us, what defines us, what lies in store for us - it is all there. "Faust" is a journey everyone should undertake. There is nothing controversial here - no "God", no "Hellfire", nothing but Goethe's straightforward but not blunt, sensitive but not compromised, philosophical but not dreamy, analysis of the human situation. "Faust" is the Master thinker Goethe's sincere attempt at looking at it all; and it does not fall visibly short of the task.Part I should be read by everyone; Part II is not strictly a sequel, but in many ways is, as Wayne shows in his Introduction.