Faust

Author: (German) Goethe
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-12-01
Features: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) was a great German poet, playwright, and thinker. From the late 17th century to the early 19th century, it was a period of rise and development in Western capitalism, and the Enlightenment movement of the bourgeoisie was precisely preparing ideologically for this rise and development, for the seizure of power from the feudal class and the gradual establishment of bourgeois rule. Goethe's literary activities were closely tied to the major historical events of this period. Especially his Tragedy of Faust is an artistic summary of the rise, development, and decline of the Enlightenment movement in Western Europe in German national form, and it looks ahead to the future of human society based on the development of capitalism in the early 19th century. He was born into a wealthy bourgeois family in Frankfurt on the Rhine. From 1765 to 1768, he studied law at the University of Leipzig, and from 1770 to 1771 at the University of Strasbourg, alongside science and art. In philosophy and literary theory, he was deeply influenced by Spinoza, Diderot, Rousseau, Herder, and others. In his youth, he was the leader of the so-called "Sturm und Drang" movement, an early literary movement of the German bourgeoisie. His important plays include G?tz von Berlichingen, which portrays the tragic resistance of a declining knight against the existing social system. His epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther reflects the dissatisfaction of a young intellectual from the bourgeois class with the petty state of class prejudice and feudal customs, leading him to commit suicide and become a victim of rebellion. In 1775, Goethe was invited to Weimar as a Privy Councillor. In this small territory, he originally intended to realize his political ambitions, such as reducing the army, reforming finances, restoring mines, and building roads, but ultimately failed. From 1786 to 1788, he traveled to Italy, developing an interest in classical art while studying natural sciences. His important plays completed during this period include Iphigenia in Tauris and Egmont. The former promotes classical humanism, while the latter reflects the hatred of the Dutch bourgeoisie for foreign rule but idealizes the protagonist—a pragmatist in reality. Since 1794, he collaborated with Schiller, mutually inspiring and complementing each other, laying the foundation for German bourgeois classical literature. Together, they wrote satirical critiques of society, narrative ballads, and individually completed major works. On March 24, 1829, Goethe told his secretary Eckermann, "My friendship with Schiller was as if fated. I could have met him earlier or later, but we came together at just the right time—I had returned from Italy, and he was beginning to tire of philosophical speculation. This was very meaningful, greatly benefiting both of us." (Goethe's Conversations with Eckermann, Berlin, Aufbau-Verlag, German edition). The novel The Apprenticeship Years of Wilhelm Meister is an important work marking Goethe's transition from middle age to old age, primarily depicting the personal struggles of a young intellectual from the bourgeois class, with an emphasis on the practical significance of education. His later major works include the autobiography Poetry and Reality, the collection West-Eastern Divan, and The Wanderings of Wilhelm Meister. Goethe's lyric, narrative, and philosophical poems are widely popular among the German people. The masterpiece that runs through his entire life is his poetic drama Faust, which was not completed until 1832, the year before his death. At that time, Germany was fragmented and divided under feudal rule, with capitalist development far lagging behind that of Britain and France. The bourgeoisie's power was still very weak compared to the feudal forces. Goethe was limited by his era, environment, and class, leading to some contradictions in his worldview. However, his progressiveness, greatness, and extraordinary talent dominated his thought. Originally, Goethe was ranked alongside Schiller, but after Schiller's early death, Goethe came to represent the peak of German bourgeois classical literature. Due to his long life, his contributions were particularly significant. Franz Mehring once highly praised Goethe, stating that while other countries certainly had great writers, Goethe was to German culture what the sun was to the earth. Although Sirius possessed more light and heat than the sun, it was the sun, not Sirius, that illuminated the grapes on the earth. The Tragedy of Faust is Goethe's life's masterpiece. In a letter to Wilhelm von Humboldt in 1832, Goethe wrote, "I have beenThe Tragedy of Faust for over 60 years. In my youth, I had a clear idea of it, though I did not specify the order of the plot." The Tragedy of Faust is a poetic drama that employs various poetic forms. It begins with free verse, gradually shifting to pastoral and iambic meters. Goethe uses the variation of meter to match the progression of the plot and reflect changes in emotion. For example, when Helen appears, ancient Greek tragic trimeter is used, while the attendants employ classical choruses. Faust uses the classical Nordic long-short pentameter. As the two draw closer, Helen shifts to German rhyming verse. With the appearance of Oberon, romantic short lines are used. When Helen disappears, ancient Greek trimeter returns, and the maids and attendants fade away in octosyllabic verse. Goethe also strove to make the play a musical drama. The prologue of the first act should begin with sacred music. The singing of the spirits in the second act should be accompanied by a harp. From the birth of Oberon, the full orchestra should play, and the music should only completely stop after the dirge. However, in the scene of burying Faust, corresponding music should accompany the singing of the celestial and human crowds. Goethe was the first to propose the slogan of "World Literature." He advocated cultural exchange and mutual understanding among nations. He said, "It may not be possible to achieve uniform thinking among all nations, but they should at least know and understand each other, even if they do not love each other, they must learn to tolerate each other." The Tragedy of Faust is indeed a work of enduring appeal in world literature. It has been translated into many languages. This translation is based on the 10th volume of Goethe's Complete Works published by the Volkverlag Weimar (1959) and the 3rd volume of Goethe's Complete Works (Hamburger Ausgabe, 1976) on Faust. It also references the translation by the earlier Guo Moruo. The translator has added prefaces and notes for reference. There may be errors and omissions in the translation, and the translator hopes the readers will kindly point them out! Comrade Cheng Shifa took time out of his busy schedule to create the cover illustration for this translation. The translator expresses his heartfelt gratitude to him!