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Paul Bishop, ed. A Companion to Goethe's Faust: Parts I and II. Rochester: Camelen House, 2001. 319 pp.
In his introduction to this volume of thirteen essays, Paul Bishop articulates several clear purposes. First, the book is to serve as a "companion" for undergraduate, graduate students, and scholars in the reading and interpretation of both parts of Faust (xiv). The "companion" lias established itself as a reliable critical genre: we know to expect broad interdisciplinary orientation to a subject through contributions by distinguished scholars. And indeed, as a coherent, accessible, often masterful introduction to a vast and complex work, this volume fulfills its promise. Bishop's additional goals are to present a "plurality" of viewpoints, and to "stimulate debate on the text, and encourage further research based on a close reading of the original text" (xiv). On matters of "plurality" and "debate," however, the collection could be stronger.
There is, without question, an awe-inspiring critical sovereignty and breadth in this book. Martin Swales's elegant, incisive essay on the "Character and Characterization of Faust" goes to the heart of Goethe's stance towards modernity and could serve as an introduction to both parts of ftutst Sor students or scholars at any level. Ritchie Robertson offers wonderful glimpses into the poetic texture of Faust, offering exemplary readings of its metrical strategies, allusions, and motifs that could not but inspire readers in their own close encounters with the work. Ellis Dye's very sympathetic reading of the ''Feminine" in Faust manages to contextualize this theme with reference to, by my count, nearly twenty other works...