Fausts Enduring Influence
“We are each our own Devil, and we make this world our hell”
-Oscar Wilde
The Faust story has continued to impact Western culture and influenced many of the greatest creative artists of the last few centuries. In Britain, Goethe was admired by the Romantic poets, who were highly influenced by German culture, in particular Coleridge and Mary Shelley.
Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein has many faustian themes- Victor Frankenstein is a man experimenting at the outer limits like Faust, defying god and exploring dangerous knowledge by creating a human being through the use of science. But the novel warns that unchecked scientific progress may be something of a ‘Faustian' bargain. Victor Frankenstein, in the end, by trying to play god, has unleashed a monster he is unable to control.
Both Frankenstein and Goethe’s Faust were in many ways prophetic, when we contemplate the double edged sword of The Enlightenment, laying the foundation for the industrial revolution and the modern technological society it created. This has been apparent throughout the 20th and 21 first century, particularly when we consider the perils and terrors of the nuclear age, the recent financial crisis, and the increasing existential threat of climate change, which may now potentially threaten the survival of humanity itself.
In addition to Frankenstein, the story of Faust also had a major influence on another classic work of gothic fiction, namely Bram stokers Dracula. Stoker had been interested in the Faust tale for some time, but this interest was heightened when he became involved in a production of the play at the Lyceum theatre in London, where he worked as a manager. The play starred his employer, the celebrated victorian actor Henry Irving as Mephistopheles and was a huge success, drawing in large crowds with it’s spectacular sets and special effects.
This production of Faust seems to have influenced the novel Dracula not only in terms of it’s imagery and themes of temptation, but in addition there are many who believe Henry Irving, a dominating and striking figure prone to egotism, may have been the inspiration for Count Dracula himself. Stokers relationship with Irving had something of a faustian quality, with Stoker being dazzled and selflessly devoted to Irving despite his employers egotism and manipulative personality. It’s possible that seeing Irving as Mephistopheles in the 1882 stage version, may have fuelled the fires of Stokers imagination.
“Every noticeable historical era will have its own Faust’
-Soren Kierkergard
In the late 19th and throughout the 20th-century the Faust story continued to be retold in many different forms, Oscar Wilde’s a picture of Dorian Gray has Faustian theme’s, particularly when the character says ‘To be forever young, I would give my soul for that’. There is also Thomas Mann’s novel in which Faust becomes a composer rather than an academic, and infects himself with syphilis in order to achieve the great highs and lows needed become a greater artist.
The moral corruption of Thomas Mann’s Faust character echoes the darker side of the philosophy of Nietzsche, the idea that man should dare to go beyond the limits, to strive in a world beyond good and evil, and that egotism and amorality may be acceptable in the pursuit of civilisations highest achievements. This interpretation of an aspect of Nietzsche’s work is one of the reasons he unfortunately became a kind of romantic icon for the Nazis. Thomas Mann’s novel is set during the period in which Nazism rose in Germany, and the portrayal of Faust as diseased and morally corrupt directly refers to this.
In the world of music, Faust also commonly appears- in opera, in both Berlioz and Gounod’s great works as well as symphonic works by Liszt, Stravinsky and many others. There is also the legend of the famous bluesman Robert Johnson, who was said to have sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads in exchange for fame and success. ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ also has many Faustian themes.
Further on through 20th century literature Faustian themes emerge again and again, there’s ‘The Devil and Daniel Webster’ the 1936 short story by Stephen Vincent Bennett, about a farmer who does a deal with the devil who identifies himself as ‘Mr Scratch’. This was was eventually turned into the cartoon ‘The Devil and Daniel mouse’ which then ended up being sampled by the Goth rock band Bauhaus for their 1982 song ‘Party of the first part’.
There’s also the novel ‘Master and Margarita’ by Mikhail Bulgakov which partly inspired the Rolling Stones song ‘Sympathy For The Devil’. There is also Willam Hjortsbergs Falling Angel, and Clive barkers Damnation Game, Hellbound heart, and many more.
