- Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Classics; 2 edition (27 May 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140440933
- ISBN-13: 978-0140440935
- Product Dimensions: 19.3 x 12.7 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 727,727 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Faust: Pt.2 (Classics)
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
" One of those great works of literature into which a writer has been able to combine his ranging preoccupations and understanding as he worked."
-A. S. Byatt, from the Preface
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.
-A. S. Byatt, from the Preface
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Product Description
The second part of Goethe's masterpiece opens with Faust struggling to recover from the death of his beloved Gretchen. The quick-witted demon Mephistopheles soon persuades him to look beyond his sorrow and enter the world of politics and power, but the great scholar is still eager for new sensations, and asks Mephistopheles to reveal Helen of Troy to him in a vision. Overwhelmed by her beauty, Faust demands she be brought back from the underworld - but even this fails to bring him contentment, and his appetite for knowledge remains unsated. Completed a few months before Goethe's death, this rich and allusive work weaves together a wealth of diverse philosophical ideas and influences, reworking the medieval myth of Dr Faustus and speculating upon the search for truth in the Age of Enlightenment.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
Ariel (singing, to the accompaniment of Aeolian harps). Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Ariel (singing, to the accompaniment of Aeolian harps). Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The above review would imply this volume is Philip Wayne's translation of Faust Part II, which has been on Penguin Classic's list for many years. In fact this is a new translation of Goethe's masterpiece, done by David Constantine one of our best contemporary poets and a distinguished translator.
Comparison with Wayne's translation this emerges favourably, not least because Constantine's English is more contemporary and less ponderous. More impressive still is the work Constantine has done to reflect the different poetic metres and rhymes in the original. These run naturally to modern ears. A considerable achievement, especially as one considers that this work is much more difficult than Faust Part I.
This edition also scores over Wayne's (which was a wonderful achievement) in it's notes to clarify the allusions to Classical Greek mythology, Goethe's writing process and the origins of various lines. There are also fascinating introductions from Constantine about the translation of the text, listing previous attempts (including Wayne) and summaries of each act.
All in all, this is a prime recomedation for a translation of Faust, that is worthy alogside Constantines equally distunguished Faust, Part I from the same publisher.
Comparison with Wayne's translation this emerges favourably, not least because Constantine's English is more contemporary and less ponderous. More impressive still is the work Constantine has done to reflect the different poetic metres and rhymes in the original. These run naturally to modern ears. A considerable achievement, especially as one considers that this work is much more difficult than Faust Part I.
This edition also scores over Wayne's (which was a wonderful achievement) in it's notes to clarify the allusions to Classical Greek mythology, Goethe's writing process and the origins of various lines. There are also fascinating introductions from Constantine about the translation of the text, listing previous attempts (including Wayne) and summaries of each act.
All in all, this is a prime recomedation for a translation of Faust, that is worthy alogside Constantines equally distunguished Faust, Part I from the same publisher.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
A far-reaching, entralling tale of a man's bargain with the devil. Ultimately achieving redemption, the story of faust encompasses the struggle of the human condition and the plight of one man's soul, and his effort to find that heavenly spur: His own meaning. Exquisitly written; hard but worthwhile. A poetic masterpiece where much kudos must be awarded to P.Wayne's sublime translation. It's not for the faint-hearted for it requires extravagant knowledge of Roman and Greek mythology, but it is worth the journey. Read this poetry. And remember the words of the Angels:
' For he whose strivings never cease
Is ours for his redeeming.'
' For he whose strivings never cease
Is ours for his redeeming.'
Format:Paperback
I was hesitant to read 'Faust, Part II' after hearing from many sources of how impenetrable it is. However, because I loved 'Faust, Part I', I decided to give it a try. I should point out that I'm neither a student of literature or classical civilization, of which a great deal of the references in this allude to. However, for the first 80 or so pages I was shocked at how easy I found this to read, and the extent to which I was enjoying it. Although, I wouldn't have found that to be the case if it wasn't for the excellent introduction and commentary at the back.
But then came the Classical Walpurgis Night in Act II, and everything suddenly went a bit crazy. I found myself buried in complicated poetry and references that I didn't understand, and flicking back and forth between the main text and the commentary. Furthermore, the story suddenly became a bit of a mess. It was jumping about all over the place, and not really making that much sense. By the end I felt that 'Faust Part II' couldn't have been any more different to 'Faust, Part I'. But, like the introduction said, this isn't a book that you read "to see what happens next", it's a book that you read for the poetry. With that said, I did actually really enjoy this book (when I could understand it, at least). However, it's not one to read purely for leisure.
But then came the Classical Walpurgis Night in Act II, and everything suddenly went a bit crazy. I found myself buried in complicated poetry and references that I didn't understand, and flicking back and forth between the main text and the commentary. Furthermore, the story suddenly became a bit of a mess. It was jumping about all over the place, and not really making that much sense. By the end I felt that 'Faust Part II' couldn't have been any more different to 'Faust, Part I'. But, like the introduction said, this isn't a book that you read "to see what happens next", it's a book that you read for the poetry. With that said, I did actually really enjoy this book (when I could understand it, at least). However, it's not one to read purely for leisure.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
