Part I | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Part II | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notes
Running Time 11 hours 37 minutes
Read by: Multiple readers
Book Coordinator: Gesine (Part I), TriciaG (Part II)
Meta Coordinators: Gesine (Part I), TriciaG (Part II)
Proof Listener:Linette Geisel (Part I)
Artwork
Cover: Faust and Mephistopheles, c. 1900, by Anton Kaulbach (1864-1834).
Inset: Goethe's Faust, 1918, by Richard Roland Holst (1868-1938).
Inset: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, age 79, by Joseph Karl Stieler (1781-1858).
Insert: Faust's pact with Mephisto, engraving by Julius Nisle after Goethe's “Faust”, c.1840.
Recordings
These recordings were made using the author’s original published work, which is in the public domain. The readings were recorded by members and volunteers of Librivox.org, which has generously made the recordings available to the public domain. The audio files have been edited and engineered using professional audio tools for maximum sonic quality. While Librivox condones the sale and distribution of these recordings, it is not associated with the management or operations of MP3 Audiobook Classics.
The theme of making a deal with the devil is one of the most enduring in all art forms. Most treatments are derived from the classic German legend of Faust that dates from the 1500’s, the tale of a frustrated scholar who trades his soul for a life of unlimited knowledge and hedonistic pleasure. Goethe’s Faust, a tragic play in two parts, is considered as the consummate treatment of the subject, as Goethe’s magnum opus and as the greatest work of German literature. Part I, which is written largely in rhyming verse and was first published in 1808, hews closely to the original legend and depicts the drama of the everyday “small world”. Faust and the devil make a deal: the devil will do anything for Faust here on earth and seeks to grant him a moment so sublime he will wish it to last forever, but, if Faust is ever fully satisfied, he will die and serve the devil in Hell for eternity. In short order Faust is living large and wooing the gorgeous Gretchen. Unsurprisingly, arrogance, deception, and delusion lead him down the path to infernal and near eternal damnation. Part II, which was finished in 1831 and published after Goethe’s death, is very different from Part I and by no means a sequel. Complex and full of references to mythology, it goes far beyond the simple struggle for Faust’s soul and depicts the wider world in five separate acts with attention to larger political, historical, philosophical and mystical issues. After conflicts, struggles, and travels through space and time Faust finds a measure of redemption and grace for his striving.
Play sample:
Download a PDF datasheet
Item Info | |
EAN - DVD case | 0701236969122 |
EAN - CD jacket | 0686175923315 |
Media | MP3 CD |
Package | DVD Case |
Author | Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) |
Translator | Bayard Taylor |
Year | Part I - 1808. Part II - finished 1831, published posthumously |
Recording | |
Read by | Multiple readers |
Length | 11 hours and 37 minutes |
Type of Reading | Dramatic |
Faust
- Author: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- Product Code: DB-1194
- Availability: In Stock
-
$11.99
Available Options
Related Products
The Iliad of Homer
The Iliad by Homer is an epic of poem over 15,000 lines that recounts the conflict between Agamemnon..
$11.99
The Odyssey of Homer
The Odyssey by Homer is an epic poem composed in part as sequel to The Iliad that tells the story of..
$11.99
Paradise Lost
The story of Adam and Eve, the original human couple in the book of Genesis, is the story of mankind..
$11.99