Faust: A Tragedy by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

featuring Gabriel Trop, Associate Professor of German

Meeting Dates: Wednesdays, November 28 & December 5

“One of the greatest dramatic and poetic masterpieces of European literature”—Oxford World Classics

“Hailed as Germany’s greatest contribution to world literature, Goethe’s Faust drew upon a folktale and Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus for inspiration. But in this epic version, Faust sells his soul not for magic powers but for a heightened sense of existence.”—Dover Publications

“Faust is an exploration of that restless intellectual and emotional urge which found its fullest expression in the European Romantic movement, to which Goethe was an early and major contributor. The protagonist, Faust, is presented in a complex manner, and Goethe’s treatment of the subject matter raises ethical and spiritual issues, many of which are not resolved within the drama itself. Goethe’s stress is on Faust’s striving towards the good, and on the nature of human error, rather than on the traditional Christian view of sin and redemption, and the play’s opening sections and its conclusion can be seen as humanist allegory or metaphor rather than an expression of orthodox religious belief. It is left to the reader to draw their own conclusion about Faust’s everyman character, and the extent to which he earns his ultimate spiritual salvation.”—Poetry in Translation

TUITION: $35, includes a copy of the book

Register online or call 919.962.1544

***This Great Books session will meet on Wednesday mornings instead of Tuesday mornings.***

Please note that the image may not reflect the edition being used for the reading group.