Faust: The Enlightened Doctor

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So, my history with this book is a little peculiar. I had heard all about it throughout my high school career because the German students learned it their classes. The book itself (or rather, the opera version) is an important component of Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera, and some of its subsequent adaptations include elements from Faust. That being said, I was pretty excited when I heard we were getting to read this in class this year.

One of the first things that I noticed was the parallels to Paradise Lost, but how differently God and Satan (or in this case, Mephistopheles) are portrayed from the get-go. However, the biggest thing I noticed while reading was that Faust himself is very much rooted in enlightened thought. He and Wagner share massive conversations on different kinds of enlightened subjects, but throughout it all retains that he is above all questioning of the self. Nothing to Faust is held to any type of value, harkening back to some of Voltaire's writings. Knowing how this story ends up playing out, one has to ask, does Faust continue to interact with Mephistopheles out of pure boredom, or does he think this is his next step in elevating his self-imposed "god" status? It'll be interesting to see how this story unfolds.

EDIT: I commented on Natalie's and Will's posts.

Comments

  1. Zelda PeachOctober 23, 2017 at 9:06 PM

    I had no idea that Phantom of the Opera has connections to Faust! How very interesting. I am actually going to see Phantom next year when it comes to NOLA in March. I will have to keep this book in mind when watching it I guess.

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  2. Michael TurnerOctober 23, 2017 at 9:38 PM

    Natalie's post got me thinking and this one brought the thought out. Being the "enlightened" person he is, one would think that he thought a little harder about making a deal with the literal devil. I mean, I can understand thrill seeking when bored. I love a good speed run down my home highway, but never could I sell my soul. Boredom is deadly however. I learned that the hard way.

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  3. UnknownOctober 23, 2017 at 9:55 PM

    I don't know the story of Faust, but I seem to think Faust is about to get way over his head. He's already opened the door to Mephistopheles, what now? Where the Devil seems enlightening and polite, we know there is cunning and deception right around the corner.

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