Faust: Part 2

“So let the sun keep at my backWith waxing ecstasy I watch the flume Of water roaring through the cleft of rockfrom leap to leap see how it splits its streamAnd how the split streams further multiply,Spume flinging skywards, spume on whizzing spume….That is the image for this striving life of ours”Goethe’s Faust Part II describes our life in such words but it could aptly describe the work itself. Hamlet, Harold Bloom noted, vastly expands beyond the revenge narrative. Similarly, Faust Part II far surpasses the conventual myth and changes from social commentary, to the role of the Greco-Roman past in modern culture, to effusive poetry that Goethe said he was simply inspired to write—not necessitating a chronological sequence.Given the plot discontinuities, swift changes of scene and character and general refusal to be anything but an effusive celebration of life, it helps to have a scholarly guide to make sense of the text. Thanks to a recommendation I reread this text in this Penguin classics edition and was able to more or less follow all of it.Part II of Faust is the last work that Goethe finished and it serves as a fitting coda: for who was Goethe but a poet, creator of an erroneous but ingenious theory of color, writer of some of the most popular novels of his day, a astute observer of the Italian culture—a Renaissance man three hundred years after the Renaissance.Not only Faust but Goethe himself embodied this spume of life, full of an intellectual energy few have ever equaled. Far from the medieval legend, he composed a work worth reading simply because it’s a masterpiece of the human intellect. If you are the type of reader who is apt to stand in awe before a work of art, I highly recommend finding the time to read it.

The above review would imply this volume is Philip Wayne's translation of Faust Part II, which has been on Penguin Classic's list for many years. In fact this is a new translation of Goethe's masterpiece, done by David Constantine one of our best contemporary poets and a distinguished translator.Comparison with Wayne's translation this emerges favourably, not least because Constantine's English is more contemporary and less ponderous. More impressive still is the work Constantine has done to reflect the different poetic metres and rhymes in the original. These run naturally to modern ears. A considerable achievement, especially as one considers that this work is much more difficult than Faust Part I.This edition also scores over Wayne's (which was a wonderful achievement) in it's notes to clarify the allusions to Classical Greek mythology, Goethe's writing process and the origins of various lines. There are also fascinating introductions from Constantine about the translation of the text, listing previous attempts (including Wayne) and summaries of each act.All in all, this is a prime recomedation for a translation of Faust, that is worthy alogside Constantines equally distunguished Faust, Part I from the same publisher.

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So Faust pt 2 is an amazing work of epic poetry. And this (Constantine's) isn't a particularly good translation (and the Kindle formatting is problematic, too). I recommend a Philip Wayne translation which does a better job with making the characters sound clever and involved, although the events are slightly harder to track. Here's some comparative lines, first Constantine's translation and then Wayne's:"And seeing so much around that's wonderousI'll thread this maze of flames with seriousness."vs."And even if I meet with things most strange,This fiery labyrinth resolved I'll range.""Never mind, my dears. I see my linesAnd sentiments have left you cold.Consider though: the Devil is oldAnd when you are, you will know what he means."vs."My words appear to leave you cold;Poor babes, I will not be your scolder:Reflect, the Devil, he is old,To understand him, best grow older.""Gliding from place to place to knowHow best to come to life and keenTo shatter my globe of glass. But whatI've seen of it -- of life -- so far I'm notInclined to take the plunge. However..."vs."From point to point I float aroundLonging impatiently to break my glassAnd join the fullness of creation;Only the things I've seen so far, alas,I would not join without some trepidation."I don't even know how to compare these two, really -- Wayne's sounds clever and epic-poetic and Constantine's... tone-deaf and alien. So while I totally recommend reading this, I also recommend tracking down a Wayne translation.

I was hesitant to read 'Faust, Part II' after hearing from many sources of how impenetrable it is. However, because I loved 'Faust, Part I', I decided to give it a try. I should point out that I'm neither a student of literature or classical civilization, of which a great deal of the references in this allude to. However, for the first 80 or so pages I was shocked at how easy I found this to read, and the extent to which I was enjoying it. Although, I wouldn't have found that to be the case if it wasn't for the excellent introduction and commentary at the back.But then came the Classical Walpurgis Night in Act II, and everything suddenly went a bit crazy. I found myself buried in complicated poetry and references that I didn't understand, and flicking back and forth between the main text and the commentary. Furthermore, the story suddenly became a bit of a mess. It was jumping about all over the place, and not really making that much sense. By the end I felt that 'Faust Part II' couldn't have been any more different to 'Faust, Part I'. But, like the introduction said, this isn't a book that you read "to see what happens next", it's a book that you read for the poetry. With that said, I did actually really enjoy this book (when I could understand it, at least). However, it's not one to read purely for leisure.