But even more impressive than his versatility was his unwillingness ever to settle into a single style or approach. The main characters of this classics, fiction story are faust, mephistopheles. The multi talented goethe, in addition to being a writer was also a theoretical physicist, biologist, polymath, pictorial artist and statesman. Choose the part of faust which you want to read from the table of contents to get started. Of a possible plan in 1769 to dramatize the story of the man who sold his soul to the devil in exchange for earthly fulfillment, perhaps including his ultimate redemption, no firm evidence survives. His best known writings include the sorrows of young werther his first novel and faust a drama in. Faust falls in love with and marries helen, embodying for goethe his imaginative longing to join poetically the romantic medievalism of the germanic west to the classical. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read faust. In this sequel to faust, mephistopheles takes faust on a journey through ancient greek mythology, conjuring for him the insurpassably beautiful helen of troy, as well as the classical gods. Here indeed is a monumental faust, an audacious man boldly wagering with the devil, mephistopheles, that no magic, sensuality, experience, or knowledge can lead him to a moment he would wish. After a dedicatory poem and a prelude in the theatre. Prelude on stage director, dramatist, comedian director you two, whove often stood by me, in times of need, when troubles breaking, say what success our undertaking 35. Part ii, 1832, a play about a man who sells his soul to the devil that is sometimes considered germanys greatest contribution to world literature.
Born in 1749 to a welltodo family in frankfurt, he was sent to strasbourg to earn a law. Faust is considered by many to be goethes magnum opus and the greatest work of german literature the earliest forms of the. Johann fausten, based upon the shadowy life of faust the younger, but including many of the fanciful legendary stories, was published in frankfurt in 1587. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 272 pages and is available in paperback format. Goethe composed literary works and established artistic principles that had a profound influence on his contemporaries throughout europe, and which are still looked to as models. In 1957 he inscribed goethes motto on the first page of his notebookohne hast aber ohne rast without haste but without restand from then until his death in 1965 he worked on the. Randall jarrells translation of faust is one of his most important achievements. Goethe had worked for most of his life on this drama, and was based on christopher marlowes faust. From 1791 to 1817, goethe was the director of the court theatres. The first part of his masterwork, faust, appeared in 1808, and the second part in 1832. Throughout a long and full life he demonstrated his prolific genius in many different areas. Faust is the protagonist of a classic german legend. His body of work includes epic and lyric poetry written in a variety of meters and styles, prose and verse dramas, memoirs, literary and aesthetic criticism, novels, numerous literary and scientific fragments and many more. He is best known for faust, which he started at the age of 23 and finished shortly before his death, 60 years later.
Part one and selected sections of part two in the german original with an english translation. Work on faust accompanied goethe throughout his adult life. The drama was given to the public first as a fragment in 1790. That same year it was translated into english as the historie of the damnable life and deserved death of doctor john faustus. This first part of faust is not divided into acts, but is structured as a sequence of scenes in a variety of settings. Goethes masterpiece and perhaps the greatest work in german literature, faust has made the legendary german alchemist one of the central myths of the western world. The main characters of this classics, fiction story are.
Free download or read online elective affinities pdf epub book. It is goethes most famous work and considered by many to be one of the greatest works of german literature. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 327 pages and is available in paperback format. Faust is considered by many to be goethe s magnum opus and the greatest work of german literature the earliest forms of the work, known as the.