Goethe's Faust: Its Genesis and Purport

Goethe's Faust: Its Genesis and Purport explores the complex and multifaceted work, examining its genesis, historical context, and Goethe's personal experiences. It highlights the tensions and synthesis that give the drama its enduring power and challenges the Higher Critics' overly intricate dissection. The book emphasizes the need to return to the text itself, Goethe's broader oeuvre, and his poetic vision to uncover the inner fairy tale that underpins Faust. It is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates the university's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact.

Format: Hardback
Length: 436 pages
Publication date: 19 August 2022
Publisher: University of California Press

Goethe's Faust: Its Genesis and Purport is a profound exploration of one of the most intricate and multifaceted literary works in history. The author delves into the intricate layers of Faust, examining its genesis, historical context, and Goethe's personal experiences that shaped the play. The work navigates the significant polarities that define Goethe's masterpiece—realism and idealism, the sensual and the spiritual, and the amoral versus ethical dimensions—highlighting the tensions and synthesis that give the drama its enduring power. The study acknowledges that Faust resists definitive interpretation, as each reader is drawn to different aspects of its dualities, and its richness lies in this very tension.

This comprehensive review not only addresses Goethe's artistic intentions and thematic depth but also critiques the complexities added by decades of academic analysis. The author challenges the Higher Critics, suggesting that their overly intricate dissection often obscures the play's accessible elements, creating unnecessary barriers for readers. Instead, the book emphasizes the need to return to the text itself, Goethe's broader oeuvre, and his poetic vision to uncover the inner fairy tale that underpins Faust. Drawing inspiration from influential critics like Konrad Burdach and Emil Staiger, the study ultimately seeks to balance scholarly insight with a clear understanding of Goethe's intentions, offering a pathway to appreciating the universal and timeless nature of his work.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates the University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarly works available to a wide audience.

Goethe's Faust: Its Genesis and Purport is a profound exploration of one of the most intricate and multifaceted literary works in history. The author delves into the intricate layers of Faust, examining its genesis, historical context, and Goethe's personal experiences that shaped the play. The work navigates the significant polarities that define Goethe's masterpiece—realism and idealism, the sensual and the spiritual, and the amoral versus ethical dimensions—highlighting the tensions and synthesis that give the drama its enduring power. The study acknowledges that Faust resists definitive interpretation, as each reader is drawn to different aspects of its dualities, and its richness lies in this very tension.

This comprehensive review not only addresses Goethe's artistic intentions and thematic depth but also critiques the complexities added by decades of academic analysis. The author challenges the Higher Critics, suggesting that their overly intricate dissection often obscures the play's accessible elements, creating unnecessary barriers for readers. Instead, the book emphasizes the need to return to the text itself, Goethe's broader oeuvre, and his poetic vision to uncover the inner fairy tale that underpins Faust. Drawing inspiration from influential critics like Konrad Burdach and Emil Staiger, the study ultimately seeks to balance scholarly insight with a clear understanding of Goethe's intentions, offering a pathway to appreciating the universal and timeless nature of his work.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates the University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarly works available to a wide audience.

Weight: 702g
Dimension: 223 x 146 x 35 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520373006