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A Faust book
77 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 3, 2026
One of the gems I discovered on a recent visit to the wonderful second hand bookshop the Book Farm (near Nuneaton) was D. J. Enright's 1979 poetry collection "A Faust Book". Ever since as a teenager I came across Christopher Marlowe's 16th century play "Dr Faustus", the Faust legend has fascinated me, as it has other writers, including German's national poet Goethe's two volume verse drama "Faust" and Nobel laureate Thomas Mann's novel "Dr Faustus", a 20th century take on the legend of the intellectual who sells his soul to the devil in order to have 24 years of of research and increasing knowledge. Indeed, one of my published stories "The Price of Fool's Gold" is a 21st century take on the legend.
The main difference between Marlowe's and Goethe's account is that in Marlowe, Faustus is dragged down to Hell after 24 years, whereas in Goethe's account, Faust is saved at the last moment. However, in both Marlowe and Goethe, Faust's 24 years are tainted and he spends more time courting women and playing jokes on others than he does on serious research (and in Mann's novel, has syphilis). It's as if the source of the magic he gets from Mephistopheles, the devil's angel, is such that he is doomed to waste the gift.
Enright's collection follows the plot of Goethe's account, in which the devil first appears to Faust as a dog. Much of Enright's account is comic as Faust and Mephistopheles engage in various activities and pranks, including Faust living with two women who are described in "Faust Considers the Subject of Souls": Gretchen who "has a large soul and small breasts" and Meretrix who has "great big breasts and a tiny soul". The poem ends with the comic "Faust loves not souls, especially large ones".
There are also many cultural references in Enright's collection. For example "Faust and the Daffodils" makes reference to Wordsworth's famous poem about the flower. And "The Prophecies of Mephistopheles" is in part a satire on William Blake's "Proverbs of Hell" (from his "Marriage of Heaven and Hell").
In "Mephistopheles Introduces Faust to the Fourth Estate", the inventor of the printing press Gutenberg goes bankrupt and Faust takes over the business and prints the Bible, but a word is missing from one of the ten commandments, so it becomes "Thou shalt commit adultery". Mephistopheles tells Faust "You've turned the Good Book into a naughty one".
In "Mephistopheles' Minions Ransack the World's Libraries for Faust's Gratification", the books they bring back for the good doctor include "120 Days of Sodom", "The Kama Sutra", "Lolita" and "The Story of O". When Faust questions the choice of books about sex, Mephistopheles says: "It was the very first way/Of transmitting original sin..."
In both Marlowe's and Goethe's versions, Faust uses the devil's magic to spend time with Helen of Troy, with Marlowe's account including one of the most famous soliloquys outside of Shakespeare, which begins "Was this the face that launched a thousand ships". In "Helen Vanishes", Enright references this speech from Marlowe.
All in all, a fascinating, at time hilarious and at times highly political, Enright's "A Faust Book" is worth looking out for. Even though I prefer Marlowe's tragic ending to Goethe's happy one.
The main difference between Marlowe's and Goethe's account is that in Marlowe, Faustus is dragged down to Hell after 24 years, whereas in Goethe's account, Faust is saved at the last moment. However, in both Marlowe and Goethe, Faust's 24 years are tainted and he spends more time courting women and playing jokes on others than he does on serious research (and in Mann's novel, has syphilis). It's as if the source of the magic he gets from Mephistopheles, the devil's angel, is such that he is doomed to waste the gift.
Enright's collection follows the plot of Goethe's account, in which the devil first appears to Faust as a dog. Much of Enright's account is comic as Faust and Mephistopheles engage in various activities and pranks, including Faust living with two women who are described in "Faust Considers the Subject of Souls": Gretchen who "has a large soul and small breasts" and Meretrix who has "great big breasts and a tiny soul". The poem ends with the comic "Faust loves not souls, especially large ones".
There are also many cultural references in Enright's collection. For example "Faust and the Daffodils" makes reference to Wordsworth's famous poem about the flower. And "The Prophecies of Mephistopheles" is in part a satire on William Blake's "Proverbs of Hell" (from his "Marriage of Heaven and Hell").
In "Mephistopheles Introduces Faust to the Fourth Estate", the inventor of the printing press Gutenberg goes bankrupt and Faust takes over the business and prints the Bible, but a word is missing from one of the ten commandments, so it becomes "Thou shalt commit adultery". Mephistopheles tells Faust "You've turned the Good Book into a naughty one".
In "Mephistopheles' Minions Ransack the World's Libraries for Faust's Gratification", the books they bring back for the good doctor include "120 Days of Sodom", "The Kama Sutra", "Lolita" and "The Story of O". When Faust questions the choice of books about sex, Mephistopheles says: "It was the very first way/Of transmitting original sin..."
In both Marlowe's and Goethe's versions, Faust uses the devil's magic to spend time with Helen of Troy, with Marlowe's account including one of the most famous soliloquys outside of Shakespeare, which begins "Was this the face that launched a thousand ships". In "Helen Vanishes", Enright references this speech from Marlowe.
All in all, a fascinating, at time hilarious and at times highly political, Enright's "A Faust Book" is worth looking out for. Even though I prefer Marlowe's tragic ending to Goethe's happy one.
June 16, 2012
Loved it!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews