Goethe's Faust
Theatre of Modernity

Leading Faust scholars consider the striking modern relevance and the operatic character and structure of Goethe's pivotal theatrical work.

Hans Schulte (Edited by), John Noyes (Edited by), Pia Kleber (Edited by)

9780521194648, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 5 May 2011

346 pages, 11 b/w illus.
23.4 x 16 x 2.3 cm, 0.7 kg

'[Goethe's Faust] is a stimulating and illuminating anthology.' Christian Weber, Florida State University

Faust has been called the fundamental icon of Western culture, and Goethe's inexhaustible poetic drama is the centrepiece of its tradition in literature, music and art. In recent years, this play has experienced something of a renaissance, with a surge of studies, theatre productions, press coverage and public discussions. Reflecting this renewed interest, leading Goethe scholars in this volume explore the play's striking modernity within its theatrical framework. The chapters present new aspects such as the virtuality of Faust, the music drama, the modernization of evil, Faust's blindness, the gay Mephistopheles, classic beauty and horror as phantasmagoria, and Goethe's anticipation of modern science, economics and ecology. The book contains an illustrated section on Faust in modern performance, with contributions by renowned directors, critics and dramaturges, and a major interview with Peter Stein, director of the uncut 'millennium production' of Expo 2000.

Introduction Hans Schulte
Part I. Modernity: 1. Faust – today Albrecht Schöne
2. Mephisto and the modernization of evil Rolf-Peter Janz
3. Mephisto is the devil – or is he? Peter Huber
4. 'Schwankende Gestalten': virtuality in Goethe's Faust Ulrich Gaier
5. Amnesia and anamnesis in Goethe's Faust Wolf-Daniel Hartwich
6. Cagliostro and Saint-Simon in Goethe's Faust II Hans-Jürgen Schings
7. Faust's blindness Eberhard Lämmert
8. From Faust to Harry Potter: discourses of the centaurs Gisela Brude-Firnau
9. Mistra and the Peloponnes in Goethe's Faust II Wilhelm Blum
10. Goethe and the grotesque: the 'classical Walpurgis night' Angela Borchert
11. Redefining classicism: antiquity in Faust II Ernst Osterkamp
12. Mephisto, the angels, and the homoerotic in Faust II W. Daniel Wilson
Part II. Theatre: 13. Goethe's Faust: theatre, meta-theatre, tragedy Martin Swales
14. Faust beyond tragedy: hidden comedy, covert opera Dieter Borchmeyer
15. Theatricality and experiment: identity in Faust Jane Brown
16. Rhetorical action: Faust between rhetoric, poetics, and music Helmut Schanze
17. Directing Faust: an interview Peter Stein
18. A contradictory whole: Peter Stein stages Faust Dirk Pilz
19. Rethinking and staging Faust at the State Theatre Stuttgart, 2005/6 Jörg Bochow
20. Strehler's Faust in performance Laura Caretti
Select bibliography.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: plays & playwrights [DSG], Literature: history & criticism [DS], Theatre studies [AN]