The Theme of Faust Through the Ages (232-0-1)
Instructors
Peter D Fenves
847/467-2966
1880 Campus Drive, Kresge 3329
Office Hours: Mon, 12 - 1:30 PM and by appointment
Meeting Info
Locy Hall 301: Mon, Wed 10:00AM - 10:50AM
Overview of class
"To sell one's soul," "to strike a bargain with the devil," or even "to beat the devil at his own game"—these expressions and similar ones continue to enjoy undiminished popularity. For more than five-hundred years the legend of Faust has served as a way of expressing the danger of pursuing an aspiration to the point of losing one's own selfhood. The specter of a "Faustian bargain" appears whenever an inordinate achievement seems to arise from a destructive or self-destructive source. The theme of Faust thus provides a series of perspectives through which one can begin to reflect on one's highest values.
Dr. Faustus has undergone many mutations since he first appeared in central Europe around the early sixteenth century. This class will begin with a question at the foundation of the Faust legend: what is a "soul," and what is worth? While examining these and kindred questions about the nature of the self, the class will continually reflect on what we are doing when we evaluate a work of art in relation to the culture of its historical period. We begin by examining the earliest versions of Faust, which derives from the earliest days of the Protestant Reformation. We proceed to read Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's world-renowned drama involving the desire for cosmic knowledge and the lures of sexual intoxication ("Faust, Part I"), followed by its strange sequel ("Faust, Part II"), which culminates in Faust becoming a social reformer who wants to alter the very organizing of the earth. We will ask what Goethe, near the end of his life, gave to "world literature" (a term of his own invention) when he presented his final version of Faust as a man committed to a total terrestrial transformation. And in the final weeks of the class, we turn to Hollywood film, so that we can re-evaluate the Faust legend from the perspective of a modern medium in our own historical period, concluding with Danny Boyle's "Yesterday" and Greta Gerwig's "Barbie."
Registration Requirements
No requirements; taught in English; all readings in English
Learning Objectives
• To gain a knowledge of a major legend of modern culture
• To gain an understanding of central European cultural history particular attention to the Reformation, the Enlightenment, and Romanticism.
• To develop and expand the skills necessary for writing a critical essay on a complex literary work.
• To gain a familiarity with the difference between analyzing a literary work and cinematic one.
Teaching Method
Lecture
Evaluation Method
Class participation
Papers
Final Exam - Take Home
Class Materials (Required)
Texts and films will be available via Canvas
Class Attributes
Ethical and Evaluative Thinking Foundational Disci
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Interdisciplinary Distro-rules apply
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area
Ethics & Values Distro Area
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Weinberg Students Only
Associated Classes
DIS - Kresge Centennial Hall 2-329: Fri 10:00AM - 10:50AM
DIS - Kresge Centennial Hall 2-410: Fri 10:00AM - 10:50AM