Faust, << fowst >>, more correctly called Faustus << FOWS tuhs >>, was a German astrologer and magician who became an important figure in legend and literature. The historical figure was Georg Faustus, who probably lived from about 1480 to 1540. Germans considered him a fraud and criminal. Martin Luther, the founder of Protestantism, believed Faust had devilish powers.
In 1587, a crude legendary biography appeared, called The History of Johann Faust, or the Faustbook. The unknown author borrowed many sensational legends about other magicians. In the Faustbook, Faust sells his soul to the devil Mephistopheles for 24 years in exchange for whatever he wishes. Faust flies throughout Europe performing magic, and finally goes to hell, horrified by his damnation. The book was widely translated and rewritten three times in the next 125 years.
The first artistic version of the Faustbook was The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus (about 1588), a verse tragedy by the English playwright Christopher Marlowe. In the play, Faustus is a scholar who yearns to know all human experience. He often wavers about his bargain with the devil and finally wants to repent, but he cannot.
Many popular plays and puppet shows about Faust appeared during the 1600’s and 1700’s, mainly in Germany. These works were influenced by Marlowe’s play but were gruesome and silly with little literary merit.
The greatest literary version of the Faust story was a poetic drama by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a German writer. Goethe wrote Faust in two parts (published in 1808 and 1832), changing the story radically. In this version, Faust’s magic and his pact with the devil are seen as part of an eager quest for knowledge and experience that is good in the end. Goethe’s Faust is finally saved by God.
There have been many later versions of the Faust story. Dorothy Sayers of England, Thomas Mann of Germany, and Paul Valéry of France were among the writers who adapted the legend of Faust in their works during the 1900’s.
