Customer Reviews

Faust, Part One (Dover Thrift Editions) (Pt. 1)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

On pain of death, I beg you not to save a few bucks by buying this translation of Goethe's masterpiece. This dusty, Victorian--era translation is opaque, humorless, and turgid. I can think of no greater disservice to a great writer. Obviously Dover picked this translation because it is in the public domain, and they did not have to pay for it. This is a great stratagem for holding down consumer costs, but it comes at a high price in terms of enjoyment. The absence of critical apparatus also detracts. There are much better translations available, especially the one from Princeton University Press. That one costs more but is well worth it in the long run. In short, though, you should buy anything BUT this boring miscarriage.

I must beg to differ with the reviewer who describes this translation as "dusty" and "turgid" - the fact is that this is an extremely old (Anna Swanwick, 1858) translation of an even older book. The language of the original (I must assume) would be as dusty to Germans as this translation is to us. Anyone expecting a snappy new American translation will be disappointed, but if that is what you are looking for, you will not find the real Faust.

I think that it is valuable to have a translation that comes from the same era, and actually recreates the original, rhymes, anachronism and all. There are newer ones, of course: the Princeton Press version the other reviewer mentioned, by Atkins, is hopelessly unpoetic. You could certainly read it faster, but at what cost? Kaufman's translation looks good, but between it and Swanwick I would say that it is a matter of taste - neither appears to be "superior." Jarrell's seems to me to be less true to the original German, and unrhymed to boot.

I think this is probably the best translation if you are at all inclined towards the Victorian style. Your best bet is to take a look at excerpts from all the translations and pick the one that works best for you.

This is the definitive book from which all Faust or books relating to the Faust storyline are based. Much is lost in the translation from its original German form, however, the story is timeless no matter what language it is in. Goethe writes a gripping tale from which many lessons can be learned. Anyone who loves great classic literature should make this a must read.

I once read that many people prefer this version of Faust over Christopher Marlowe's. I can not really understand why. To be sure, there are powerful moments in this version. There are also dramatic passages and memorable moments. Perhaps I would have rated this better if I had not read Marlowe's version. The problem is that this lacks Marlowe's superb orginization, harsh realities, dramatic irony, and chilling terror. Don't get me wrong. This book is certainly worth looking at, but I suggest you read this version before you read Marlowe's.