Doctor Faustus: A- And B- Texts [Paperback]

Christopher Marlowe (Author), David Bevington (Editor), Eric Rasmussen (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0719016436 | ISBN-13: 978-0719016431 | Publication Date: May 15, 1993 | Edition: 2

This volume in the "Revel Plays" series, offers reading editions, with modern spelling, of the 1604 and 1616 editions of Marlowe's play, arguing that the two cannot be conflated into one. Included are sources and commentary, literary criticism, style and staging/performance assessments.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Manchester University Press; 2 edition (May 15, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0719016436
• ISBN-13: 978-0719016431
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #797,086 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent edition of Marlowe's problematic play., November 14, 2005

By 

Hesper23 "Grad student" (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Doctor Faustus: A- And B- Texts (Paperback)

Professors Bevington and Rasmussen have produced an excellent, critical edition of Christopher Marlowe's most famous, and perhaps, most problematic play, Doctor Faustus. As you are probably aware, there's an "A" and "B" text of this play. The A-text, as the editors explain, was published in 1604, and it may well be the authoritative text. The B-text was published in 1616, and contains some seemingly weird/comic/nonsensical scenes, which most scholars attribute to the efforts of lesser playwrights. The textual debate rages still; the editors have provided both texts (the A-text first, then the B-text).

One of the advantages of this edition is that all the spellings have been modernized, but the syntax has been left alone. Thus, you get a wonderful sense of Marlowe's metre, without the headache of reading through the Elizabethan spellings.

The Introduction of this edition is thorough and insightful. In fact, it is over 100 pages long. Written in a very engaging, and reasonable style, the Introduction gives a thorough account of the religious debate surrounding the play (is Marlowe promoting a n orthodox agenda, or a heterodox one?), the historical background of Marlowe and the legend of Dr. Marlowe, as well as different ways to read the play.

As for the play itself--it's strange and wonderful. The "hero" Faustus brazenly rejects his humanist learning, and turns to pagan magic books to summon the devil, Mephistopheles. In exchange for his soul, Fautus will become the master of Mephistopheles for a period of 24 years. Why 24 years? I don't know. Through a series of parallel scenes, we see Faustus being visited by Good and Evil Angels, and a series of short, counterpoint scenes between the fools which subvert and complicate the main plot in significant ways. Then in a powerful last scene, Faustus is condemned to hell.

In short, if you are interested in Renaissance drama, and you're not looking for just any edition of Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, but a critical and accurate edition, then I would recommend this book.

Professor Ramussen teaches at the University of Illinois-Chicago, and Professor Bevington teaches at the University of Chicago.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No work of the devil, this..., February 15, 2006

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Doctor Faustus: A- And B- Texts (Paperback)

'Was this the face that launched a thousand ships...' There are so many great lines in this play! The greatness of Marlowe was recognised in his own time (a gentle modern reminder of this came in the film 'Shakespeare in Love', when almost every actor auditioning chose a bit from Marlowe, and all of those defaulted to this play).

It is somewhat ironic that if Shakespeare and Marlowe were writing today, they should most like be charged with plagiarism and copyright infringement; 'The Tragedy of Doctor Faustus' is likewise not an entirely original construct of Marlowe's, but rather derives from an anonymously penned German poem translated into English shortly before Marlowe recast it for his play. The German poet Goethe was influenced by the same anonymous source, and perhaps knew of Marlowe's play during his writing.

Dr. Faustus may have been based on a brilliant professor in Germany a generation or two prior to Marlowe. In any event, the idea of the seduction of the power of knowledge was (and continues to be) inspiring. The idea of selling one's soul to get the object of one's desire is also not a unique concept. Knowledge in the ancient world often always involved the spiritual realm, which had both its light and dark sides (one has but to think of the Star Wars saga to see how such concepts remain firmly rooted in our own time). Faustus becomes a conjurer, and strikes a deal with Lucifer to maintain power and knowledge in return for his soul after 24 years.

Despite the temptations to repent, Faustus in Marlowe's text never manages to break free of the temptations. 'My heart's so hardened I cannot repent. / Scare can I name salvation, faith, or heaven, / But fearful echoes thunder in mine ears: / "Faustus, thou art damned." ' Even recognising this, in the span of this one monologue, Faustus talks himself out of despair with the temptations of knowledge and secret power. Unfortunately for Faustus, he spends so much of his time and power doing ultimately useless tricks that he ends up in a worthless position despite his deal, and pays the ultimate price for his deal with the devil.

Marlowe had great appeal to the play-going audience of his day, and his words were considered very powerful art, indeed. One story bears repeating, dealing with the performance history of the play: 'A legend developed that during a performance in Exeter, in one scene in which Faustus called up devils, the actors counted one more devil than the scene called for and realised that Satan himself was in the their midst. In terror, they stopped the play; the audience bolted from the playing place; and the actors quitted the town the next morning.' Such was the power of Marlowe's rendering, that his language was thought to have magical conjuring power.

This edition is designed both for students as well as for those who might want to do the play in performance for class. There are generous notes for the changes in the text versions (there was a publication of this text in 1604 and again in 1616 with changes and revisions), and this text argues that the two cannot be easily conflated, as is often done. This text also includes many stage-direction and theatrical notes to give a good sense of how the play is performed.

Don't let the devil fool you - this is a good text.

5.0 out of 5 stars Faustus Revealed, May 11, 2009

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R. Vanderwall (Cedar Falls, Iowa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Doctor Faustus: A- And B- Texts (Paperback)

This version of Marlowe's greatest accomplishment is superbly presented here. The detailed introduction gives an amazing analysis and history of the play and it's history. A must have for anyone who considers themselves a Marlowe scholar or would want to be.