FAUST, or FAUS'TUS, JOHANN (c.1455 e.1540). A German charlatan, astrologer, and soothsayer, supposed to have performed marvels by the aid of the Devil, and to have been car ried away by him at his death. Such tales made their first appearance in literature as Historic s-on Dr. Johann Pausten at the book-fair at Frankfort-on-the-Main in 1587. This relates how the son of a peasant achieves distinction at the University of Wittenberg. but seeks to deepen his knowledge by magic arts, secures a devil, Mephistopheles, for his servant for 24 years, after which Faust is to belong to the Devil. This compact is sealed in Faust's blood. The Devil amuses Faust and his pro fessorial famulus Wagner with high living. sex ual indulgence. and visions of the spirit world. This rouses remorse, and Faust seeks consolation in mathematics„ afterwards visiting hell and the stars, making wide travels, playing magic pranks, sharing in student revelry. (onjuring the Grecian Helen from the nether world, living with her as concubine, and begetting a soothsaying child. When the 24 years are over the Devil carries away Faust, who ruefully points the moral of his folly.
This tale was rendered into metrical English in that very year, and was turned into German rhymes in 1588. There was a new edition, too, with sonic changes, and in 1589 a French version by Victor Palma Cayet. The German version was done into English prose, and of this there was a revision in 1592, with a Dutch version of the same year, in whirl] the death of Faust is dated October 23-24, 1538. Soon after the story first reached England its ventral thought was seized on by 'Marlowe in his powerful drama The Tragedy of Or..Paust us, written as it seems in 15c5. though not entered at '.4tationers' Hall till 1601. Here the poet mod ifies the zealous and Illartally serious Lutheran of the Historic. who had made Faust the counter part of Luther. as he was in fact his content porary. Faust brings to the University of Wit tenberg 'a foolish and arrogant mind,' seeking to explore nature beyond scholarly tradition, and so led to classical culture, and to the Devil. The Luther of history and the Faust of the legend both lectured on ancient culture. Faust yields to it and Helena. Luther marries after the Christian ordinance. Luther clings to his
Bible. Faust would explore behind and beyond it. Luther fights with the Devil; in the legend, Faust compacts with him. Both visit Rome. Luther is roused to revolt, Faust is amused and cynical. Read in this light, the Historic shows orthodoxy. brandishing its theological birch at the freedom of human inquiry. But with Mar lowe Faust is a type of intellectual pride, a modern Lucifer. jealous of his God.
It was the melodramatic and spectacular ele ments in his drama, however, that made it hold the stage, and after Slarlowe's death (1593) these were still further accentuated, so that when English actors brought the drama back to Germany it was essentially a popular. not to say a vulgar spectacle, in which a clown. who in Goethe's drama has become Wag ner, representing the shrewd philistine common sense of the middle class, is accorded the chief part. A still further fall awaited the legend—it became a puppet play. a Punch and .Judy show to amuse children; and thus it was seen by the boy Goethe, as a modification of it may yept be seen by the German children of to-day. The situation, however, involved the deepest prob lems of man's mortal existence. Its possibilities Were being widely perceived. Friedrich Mid ler, the painter-poet, published in 1778 two fragments of a dramatized Faust's Leben. Les sing also twice essayed the subject. Klinger, of the Storm and Stress (q.v.), published (1791) a romance on Faust's Leben, Thaten and Holten fahrt (translated by Borrow. 1826). Goethe, who had begun work on the subject in 1773, and committed several scenes to friends in 1775 in the so-called G6chhausen MS., published Faust, ein Fragment, in 1790, the complete first part in ISOS. The second part appeared posthumously. Klingemann wrote a tragedy (1815). Lenau an epic (1836). Heine a ballet (1851) on Faust. Goethe's Faust was adapted to the English stage by W. G. Wills in 1885, and produced with much splendor and success by Sir Henry Irving. Of Goethe's Faust there are many English transla tions, of which Bayard Taylor's is perhaps the most useful. The most eon VPIlh.nt nif,dioip-aphy of the older Faust literature is Engel's ZIIR11711 MC11:401 lIng der Faust-Sehriftun (Oldenburg, 1885).