BREUGHAL, LANDSCAPE WITH FALL OF ICARUS, c · Doctor Faustus the unsatiable Speculator George...

BREUGHAL,LANDSCAPEWITHFALLOFICARUS,c.1555

Whereverarroganceoftheintellectmateswiththespiritualobsoleteandarchaic,thereistheDevil’sdomain.AndtheDevil,Luther’sDevil,Faust’sDevil,strikesmeasaveryGermanfigure,andthepactwithhim,theSataniccovenant,towinalltreasuresandpoweronearthforatimeatthecostofthesoul’ssalvation,strikesmeassomethingexceedinglytypicalofGermanNature.ThomasMann,‘GermanyandtheGermans’(1945)

Thebeliefthatdisembodiedspiritsmaybepermittedtorevisitthisworldhasitsfoundationuponthatsublimehopeofimmortalitywhichisatoncethechiefsolaceandgreatesttriumphofourreason.Evenifrevelationdidnotteachus,wefeelthatwehavethatwithinuswhichshallneverdie;andallourexperienceofthislifebutmakesusclingthemorefondlytothatonerepayinghope.Butintheearlydaysof“littleknowledge”thisgrandbeliefbecamethesourceofawholetrainofsuperstitions,which,intheirturn,becamethefountfromwhenceflowedadelugeofbloodandhorror[…]InmanycitiesofGermany[…]theaveragenumberofexecutionsforthispretendedcrimewassixhundredannually,ortwoeveryday,ifweleaveouttheSundays,whenitistobesupposedthateventhismadnessrefrainedfromitswork.CHARLES MACKAY, MEMOIRS OF EXTRAORDINARY POPULAR DELUSIONS AND THE MADNESS OF CROWDS. VOLUME II, p.101-2 (1852)

Justhavethecouragetogiveyourselfovertotheimpressions,toletyourselfbecharmed,moved,elevated,yes,eveninstructed.Letyourselfbefilledwithpassionandcouragetodosomethinggrand,butdonotalwaysimaginethatallisinvainifitdoesnotcontainsomeabstractthoughtoridea.Goethe,conversationwithEckermann(6May1827)Modern bourgeois society, with its relations of production, of exchange and of property, a society that has conjured up such gigantic means of production and of exchange, is like the sorcerer who is no longer able to control the powers of the nether world whom he has called up by his spells. KarlMarxandFrederichEngels,TheManifestooftheCommunistParty(1848)

TheFaustianrestlessnessofmaninhistoryshowsthatmenarenotsatisfiedbythesatisfactionoftheirconsciousdesires.NormanOBrown,LifeAgainstDeath:ThePsychoanalyticMeaningofHistory,1959:18‐19TheFaustmytharosewhenthedevelopmentofChristianthoughthadpolarizedthehumanandthesupernaturalworldsintoaconflictbetweengoodandevil,andhadgiventheirstruggleanewintensityandrigor.Thisinevitablygavethedevilandhishierarchyunprecedentedtheologicalandpsychologicalimportance.IanWatt,MythsofIndividualismp.12

Thedeviltakethhimupuntoanexceedinghighmountain,andshowethhimallthekingdomsoftheworld,andthegloryofthem;Andsaithuntohim,AllthesethingswillIgivethee,ifthouwiltfalldownandworshipme.(NewTestament,Luke4)DoctorFaustustheunsatiableSpeculatorGeorgeFaust’sself‐descriptioninthevisitors’bookattheUniversityofPadua

Thewindowasarchitecture,ontheotherhand,ispeculiartotheFaustiansoulandthemostsignificantsymbolofitsexperienceofdepth.Inityoucanfeelthewilltoemergefromtheinteriorintotheboundless.OswaldSpengler,TheDeclineoftheWest,199

NoraceonearthhassentmoreexplorersacrosstheglobethannorthernEuropehas.Theywerenotmerelydiscoverers,butuncoverersinthefullestsenseoftheterm,thatistosay,mencapableoftransformingwhattheyhadfoundintoanewimageoftheworld.[…]NoonecanunderstandanimportantaspectoftheGermanic‐Europeansoulunlessheisaware,inacaroranexpresstrain,oftheeffectofLucifer,drivingusontoovercometimeandspacebyforce.AlfredRosenburg,DerMythusdes20.Jahrhunderts,1930(Durrani,168‐9)

Why,thisishell,nor

amIoutofit(1.3.77)

Tellme,someone,arewehalting

Oradvancing?(3906­7)

Youstageapiece–serveitinpieces,do!Why,it’sasnaptomakethiskindofstew;It’sservedasfastascookedupinyourhead.Whatuseisittobringourwholeinstead,Thepublicshredsitanywayforyou.

(99­103)

Thegodthouservestisthineownappetite(2.1.11)

“InthebeginningwastheDeed!”(1237)

No,IamFaust,yourmatch,Iamthesame!(500)

Whatweknownot,ofthatourneedisdire(1066)Twosouls,alas,aredwellinginmybreast(1112)