Herr Mikrokosmus: Faust as Astrologer
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Date
2010-06
Authors
Liggett, Catherine, 1984-
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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