Herr Mikrokosmus: Faust as Astrologer

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Date

2010-06

Authors

Liggett, Catherine, 1984-

Journal Title

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Volume Title

Publisher

University of Oregon

Abstract

Although the earliest depictions of Faustus portray him as an astrologer, very few publications to date have touched on the role of astrology in the life of this infamous character. Parallel to the decline in astrological sciences beginning in the seventeenth century, post-Scientific Revolution depictions of Faust have deemphasized astrology as a primary pursuit of the figure. I examine the status of astrology in four versions of the Faust(us) myth: The anonymous Historia von D. Johann Fausten and its English translation/adaptation as The English Faust Book, Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust, and Thomas Mann's Doktor Faustus. I argue that the decline in the status of astrology corresponds to historically weakening belief in the analogy of microcosm and macrocosm as epistemologically relevant and analyze the implication of the Faust figure in genuinely modem quandaries of skepticism and aesthetic representation.

Description

x, 74 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number.

Keywords

Faust, d. ca. 1540 -- In literature

Citation