---
product_id: 14436316
title: "Faust: Parts I & II"
price: "KSh6246"
currency: KES
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.co.ke/products/14436316-faust-parts-i-and-ii
store_origin: KE
region: Kenya
---

# Faust: Parts I & II

**Price:** KSh6246
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- **What is this?** Faust: Parts I & II
- **How much does it cost?** KSh6246 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.ke](https://www.desertcart.co.ke/products/14436316-faust-parts-i-and-ii)

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## Description

Faust Parts I & II - Goethe . A translation into English by A. S. Kline with illustrations by Eugène Delacroix . Goethe’s two-part dramatic work, Faust , based on a traditional theme, and finally completed in 1831, is an exploration of that restless intellectual and emotional urge which found its fullest expression in the European Romantic movement, to which Goethe was an early and major contributor. Part I of the work outlines a pact Faust makes with the devil, Mephistopheles, and encompasses the tragedy of Gretchen, whom Faust seduces. Part II, developed over a long period of Goethe’s later life, reflects Goethe’s own transition from a predominantly Romantic to a wider world-view and explores more extensive themes, including the values of the Classical past, as it moves towards the work’s resolution. The protagonist, Faust, is presented in a complex manner, and Goethe’s treatment of the subject matter raises ethical and spiritual issues, many of which are not resolved within the drama itself. Goethe’s stress is on Faust’s striving towards the good, and on the nature of human error, rather than on the traditional Christian view of sin and redemption, and the play’s opening sections and its conclusion can be seen as humanist allegory or metaphor rather than an expression of orthodox religious belief. It is left to the reader to draw their own conclusion about Faust’s everyman character, and the extent to which he earns his ultimate spiritual salvation. The play had an enormous influence on later German thought and literature, and together with his lyric poetry has ensured Goethe’s place among the great European writers. Published by Poetry in Translation .

Review: Genius Meets Genius - Having tried my hand at translations myself, I am awestruck by the performance of Walter Arndt. Faust is rightly regarded as a climax in German letters and,together with Don Quixote,The Divine Comedy, War and Peace and King Lear,in world literature. The nobility of its language, the sharpness of its mockery, the breadth of its subject matter and the beauty of its lyricism all make it unique. And all pose seemingly insuperable problems to the translator What should a translator do? Try to convey meaning as literally as possible? Reproduce rhyme and meter patterns as faithfully as possible? Convey the spirit of the work more than its form and letters? All of these are worthy objectives but they all are competing and, seemingly, mutually exclusive ones. It is a measure of Mr.Arndt's artistry that these conflicts seem to dissolve in his text. From the beautiful and melancholy Dedication that precedes Part I to the mystical and esoteric completion of Part II I was unable to find a single jarring note, even though I love the German text with some fanaticism. Compare the following: Ihr naht Euch wieder, schwankende Gestalten Die frueh sich einst dem trueben Blick gezeigt Wag ich es wohl Euch diesmal fest zu halten.. Once more you near me, wavering apparitions That early showed before the turbid gaze Will now I seek to grant you definition... Or this: Alles Vergaengliche Ist nur ein Gleichniss Das Unzulaengliche Hier wird's Ereignisss Das Unbeschreibliche Hier ist es gethan Das Ewig-Weibliche Zieht uns hinan. All that is changeable Is but refraction The unattainable Here becomes action Human discernment Here is passed by Woman Eternal Draw us on high. One may quarrel with the last line (I would have preferred "draws" since the chorus is not praying but praising), but what matters much more is that the sensation of "Ausklang", of a closing chord, is reproduced perfectly without doing (much) violence to the meaning. Mr. Arndt's (or are they the Editor's?) generous explanatory footnotes are a mine of erudition and good sense. Only the quality and relevance of the Essays by various authors, appended to the work, are of variable quality.
Review: Buy this book! - Norton Critical, Second, Edition by Walter Arndt and Cyrus Hamlin. You get the full translation of Faust I and II, plus, nearly 400 additional pages of interpretive notes, contextual artwork, chronologies, comments by contemporaries, and modern criticisms. Additionally, there are numerous footnotes throughout the translation, which give useful background information. This Arndt translation of Foust, in this edition, is from around 1975. Arndt’s translation is arguably one of the top-five modern translations and it is quite good. However, I found it to be somewhat archaic and overly formal; kind of like reading the King James Version of the Bible. I much prefer the David Luke (Oxford) translation from 1987. It is much more readable without sacrificing accuracy. I read both books, and both translations, at the same time; they complemented each other perfectly. This Norton Critical edition is better than taking a graduate course on Faust. You walk away with an understanding, not only of Faust, but also of Goethe, the German and European cultural milieu of Goethe’s time, and a good bit about theatre.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #644,286 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #2 in German Dramas & Plays |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 612 Reviews |

## Images

![Faust: Parts I & II - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51lTO7vqfdL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Genius Meets Genius
*by E***U on August 11, 2011*

Having tried my hand at translations myself, I am awestruck by the performance of Walter Arndt. Faust is rightly regarded as a climax in German letters and,together with Don Quixote,The Divine Comedy, War and Peace and King Lear,in world literature. The nobility of its language, the sharpness of its mockery, the breadth of its subject matter and the beauty of its lyricism all make it unique. And all pose seemingly insuperable problems to the translator What should a translator do? Try to convey meaning as literally as possible? Reproduce rhyme and meter patterns as faithfully as possible? Convey the spirit of the work more than its form and letters? All of these are worthy objectives but they all are competing and, seemingly, mutually exclusive ones. It is a measure of Mr.Arndt's artistry that these conflicts seem to dissolve in his text. From the beautiful and melancholy Dedication that precedes Part I to the mystical and esoteric completion of Part II I was unable to find a single jarring note, even though I love the German text with some fanaticism. Compare the following: Ihr naht Euch wieder, schwankende Gestalten Die frueh sich einst dem trueben Blick gezeigt Wag ich es wohl Euch diesmal fest zu halten.. Once more you near me, wavering apparitions That early showed before the turbid gaze Will now I seek to grant you definition... Or this: Alles Vergaengliche Ist nur ein Gleichniss Das Unzulaengliche Hier wird's Ereignisss Das Unbeschreibliche Hier ist es gethan Das Ewig-Weibliche Zieht uns hinan. All that is changeable Is but refraction The unattainable Here becomes action Human discernment Here is passed by Woman Eternal Draw us on high. One may quarrel with the last line (I would have preferred "draws" since the chorus is not praying but praising), but what matters much more is that the sensation of "Ausklang", of a closing chord, is reproduced perfectly without doing (much) violence to the meaning. Mr. Arndt's (or are they the Editor's?) generous explanatory footnotes are a mine of erudition and good sense. Only the quality and relevance of the Essays by various authors, appended to the work, are of variable quality.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Buy this book!
*by A***O on April 4, 2021*

Norton Critical, Second, Edition by Walter Arndt and Cyrus Hamlin. You get the full translation of Faust I and II, plus, nearly 400 additional pages of interpretive notes, contextual artwork, chronologies, comments by contemporaries, and modern criticisms. Additionally, there are numerous footnotes throughout the translation, which give useful background information. This Arndt translation of Foust, in this edition, is from around 1975. Arndt’s translation is arguably one of the top-five modern translations and it is quite good. However, I found it to be somewhat archaic and overly formal; kind of like reading the King James Version of the Bible. I much prefer the David Luke (Oxford) translation from 1987. It is much more readable without sacrificing accuracy. I read both books, and both translations, at the same time; they complemented each other perfectly. This Norton Critical edition is better than taking a graduate course on Faust. You walk away with an understanding, not only of Faust, but also of Goethe, the German and European cultural milieu of Goethe’s time, and a good bit about theatre.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is much better than the dramatic reading
*by K***K on August 14, 2024*

I started with the dramatic reading bc that was the free audiobook from the library and I could tell the story itself was good but the language was confusing and the dramatic style was driving me insane. I restarted with this and wow. Firstly the dramatic version skips the entire first part between the comedian and dramatist. Reading it with whispersync is perfect bc I can see who is talking. The translation is SO much better than the dramatic version, this is just making way more sense to me and I am enjoying it more.

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*Product available on Desertcart Kenya*
*Store origin: KE*
*Last updated: 2026-07-07*