Goethe's Faust Theatre of Modernity

Faust has been called the fundamental icon of Western culture, and Goethe's inexhaustible poetic drama is the centrepiece of its tradition in literature, music and art. In recent years, this play has experienced something of a renaissance, with a surge of studies, theatre productions, press coverage and public discussions. Reflecting this renewed interest, leading Goethe scholars in this volume explore the play's striking modernity within its theatrical framework. The chapters present new aspects such as the virtuality of Faust, the music drama, the modernization of evil, Faust's blindness, the gay Mephistopheles, classic beauty and horror as phantasmagoria, and Goethe's anticipation of modern science, economics and ecology. The book contains an illustrated section on Faust in modern performance, with contributions by renowned directors, critics and dramaturges, and a major interview with Peter Stein, director of the uncut 'millennium production' of Expo 2000.

Introduction Hans Schulte; Part I. Modernity: 1. Faust – today Albrecht Schöne; 2. Mephisto and the modernization of evil Rolf-Peter Janz; 3. Mephisto is the devil – or is he? Peter Huber; 4. 'Schwankende Gestalten': virtuality in Goethe's Faust Ulrich Gaier; 5. Amnesia and anamnesis in Goethe's Faust Wolf-Daniel Hartwich; 6. Cagliostro and Saint-Simon in Goethe's Faust II Hans-Jürgen Schings; 7. Faust's blindness Eberhard Lämmert; 8. From Faust to Harry Potter: discourses of the centaurs Gisela Brude-Firnau; 9. Mistra and the Peloponnes in Goethe's Faust II Wilhelm Blum; 10. Goethe and the grotesque: the 'classical Walpurgis night' Angela Borchert; 11. Redefining classicism: antiquity in Faust II Ernst Osterkamp; 12. Mephisto, the angels, and the homoerotic in Faust II W. Daniel Wilson; Part II. Theatre: 13. Goethe's Faust: theatre, meta-theatre, tragedy Martin Swales; 14. Faust beyond tragedy: hidden comedy, covert opera Dieter Borchmeyer; 15. Theatricality and experiment: identity in Faust Jane Brown; 16. Rhetorical action: Faust between rhetoric, poetics, and music Helmut Schanze; 17. Directing Faust: an interview Peter Stein; 18. A contradictory whole: Peter Stein stages Faust Dirk Pilz; 19. Rethinking and staging Faust at the State Theatre Stuttgart, 2005/6 Jörg Bochow; 20. Strehler's Faust in performance Laura Caretti; Select bibliography.

Goethe's Faust is one of the pivotal works of world literature, with its protagonist universally recognized as a fundamental icon of Western culture. Here, leading Goethe scholars explore the striking modernity of the play within its theatrical framework. The volume also includes a major interview with the director Peter Stein.

Hans Schulte is a retired Associate Professor of German at McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
John Noyes is Professor of German at the University of Toronto.
Pia Kleber is Professor of Drama and Comparative Literature at the University of Toronto.