Faust, Part One (Oxford World's Classics)

Faust: Part One (Oxford World's Classic) 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. Part One (first published 1808) features Faust's disgust with his life and the world at large, and attempting to unite with the Spirit of creation and soar above the petty corporality of earth, the proud old scholar is dashed to the ground, for he must first work his salvation out on earth by the sweat of his brow before he can be admitted into the presence of the Deity. In desperation, Faust tries to commit suicide, but then makes a wager with the devil: if Mephistopheles can show him that one moment of bliss he is searching for and succeeds in persuading him to cease all his human striving for that one moment, then his soul is forfeit. The devil agrees to the wager, grants Faust the gift of youth, and the adventures begin. He meets young Margareta and falls in love, a romance that leads to tragedy for the innocent maiden. David Luke's award-winning translation is one of the best I have read. While the rhythms do jar on occasion, this does not take away from the `flow' of this rendition. There will always be discrepancies when a text is taken out of its original language in any case, so it is more constructive to concentrate on the `readability', this translation succeeds in portraying the mood of Goethe's text and the personalities of his vibrant characters. In some instances, it may be argued the translation is too modern, for example, lines [2065 -2070] when Mephistopheles prepares his magic flying cloak for their journey to a new life of youthful debauchery: "One merely spreads one's cloak--you'll find It give us aerial elevation. Though, please, this bold step for mankind, Imposes luggage-limitation. I'll set the burners going, heat some air, and lo! We travel light, the earth lies far below." Did Neil Armstrong land on the moon in Goethe's time? Of course not, but Luke's witty lines humorously displays Mephistopheles' rakish personality and has become one of my personal favourites in this English edition. The book features an informative introduction on Goethe's biography and the composition of Part One and includes a graph displaying how he edited and added to the scenes until he arrived at the text we know today. There is also a select bibliography, a general chronology of Goethe's life and career, and helpful explanatory endnotes for those who wish to study the details of the text more thoroughly. For "Urfaust" scholars, Luke highlights the lines that were part of Goethe's early draft. E.A. Bucchianeri, author of ...

This David Luke (Oxford) translation is from 1987. It is very readable and poetic, without sacrificing accuracy. I have three different translations of Faust and this is, by far, my favorite. I highly recommend to all. In addition, I would recommend you buy the Norton Critical Second Edition of Faust by Walter Arndt and Cyrus Hamlin. You get the full translation of Faust, plus, nearly 400 additional pages of interpretive notes, contextual artwork, chronologies, comments by contemporaries, and modern criticisms. Unfortunately, the Arndt translation (Norton) felt archaic; like reading the King James Version of the Bible. However, all the supplementary information is invaluable. Whereas Luke’s translation is fluid and modern. I read both the Oxford and the Norton books at the same time and they complemented each other perfectly. The Norton Critical edition is better than taking a graduate course on Faust. You walk away with an understanding, not only of Faust, but also of Goethe, the German and European cultural milieu of Goethe’s time, and a good bit about theatre. Luke’s translation is compelling, emotive, and engaging! Viel Glück!

First, this translation is readable and fresh. The language and rhyme are straight forward and not overly flowery like other translations of this work. Second I didn't find this "masterpiece" inspiring or remarkable. I read this book because I have heard about the so-called genius of "Faust" referenced enough times that I believe being familiar with this work is valuable. This is the main reason I gave this book 4 stars. Translations of poems are notoriously unsatisfying, and there is plenty of amazing poetry in English concerning subjects/stories that aren't remarkable. I have no doubt that the essence of the original German version of "Faust" becomes diluted rhythmically and stylistically in the English version. I, personally, have no plans of learning German but people who loved this work probably will benefit from doing so. I am content with this translation.

I read this in one of my university English courses and I liked it. I always wanted to own Faust II. Such a great masterpiece.

思ったより早く届きました。英語併記版ですのでページ数は多いですが、紙質、印刷は上々です。

Great book and translation

Walter kaufmann does a stellar translation of Goethes work here, however the books structure leaves a lot to be desired with most of the end sections being left to be explained in the books summary in the beginning, however Kaufmanns translation and Goethes brilliance still make this a good read.

The original tale that has been recreated, reimagined and deconstructed a million different ways from Sunday, Faust ventures deep into existential and moral fabric as he deals with the devil.