Goethe’s Faust COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES ImUNCI Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures From 1949 to 2004, UNC Press and the UNC Department of Germanic & Slavic Languages and Literatures published the UNC Studies in the Germanic Languages and Literatures series. Monographs, anthologies, and critical editions in the series covered an array of topics including medieval and modern literature, theater, linguistics, philology, onomastics, and the history of ideas. Through the generous support of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, books in the series have been reissued in new paperback and open access digital editions. For a complete list of books visit www.uncpress.org. Goethe’s Faust Seven Essays alan p. cottrell with a preface by ernst behler UNC Studies in the Germanic Languages and Literatures Number 86 Copyright © 1976 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons cc by-nc-nd license. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons. org/licenses. Suggested citation: Cottrell, Alan P.Goethe’s Faust: Seven Essays. Chap- el Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1976. doi: https://doi. org/10.5149/9781469657226_Cottrell Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Cottrell, Alan P. Title: Goethe’s Faust : seven essays / by Alan P. Cottrell. Other titles: University of North Carolina Studies in the Germanic Languages and Literatures ; no. 86. Description: Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press, [1976] Series: University of North Carolina Studies in the Germanic Languages and Literatures. | Includes bibliographical references. Identifiers: lccn 75-46540 | isbn 978-1-4696-5721-9 (pbk: alk. paper) | isbn 978-1-4696-5722-6 (ebook) Subjects: Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 1749-1832. | Faust — Addresses, essays, lectures. Classification: lcc pt1925 .c58 | dcc 832/ .6 “Zoilo-Thersites: Another ‘sehr ernster Scherz’ in Goethe’s Faust II” was originally published in Modern Language Quarterly, Vol. 29, pps. 29-41. © 1968, University of Washington. All rights reserved. Republished by permission of the copyright holder, and the present publisher, Duke University Press. www. dukeupress.edu “Chalice and Skull: A Goethean Answer to Faust’s Cognitional Dilemma” was originally published in The German Quarterly, Vol. 45, No. 1, 1972. For Fred R. Amrine in gratitude Das hochste Erlebnis auf der Erde ist eben doch der Mensch. Man segnet die Erde um eines einzigen Menschen willen, den man erlebt hat. Man erfahrt durch ihn eine "Menschen­ weihe," wie man sie vorher gar nicht ahnte. -Friedrich Rittelmeyer Contents Preface by Ernst Behler XI Acknowledgments xiv List of Abbreviations xvI Introduction 1 I. Chalice and Skull: A Goethean Answer to Faust's Cognitional Dilemma 9 II." ... bald mit Blattern, bald mit Bliiten ...": Metamorphoses of Nature and of Man in Faust 22 III. The Song of Lynkeus: "Zurn Sehen geboren,/ Zurn Schauen bestellt" 39 IV. The Theme of Sacrifice and the Question of Faust's Redemption 50 V. "Des Menschen Kraft, im Dichter offenbart": Thoughts on the Sources of Poetic Creativity in View of Goethe's Image of Man 68 VI. Zoilo-Thersites: Another "sehr ernster Scherz" in Goethe's Faust II 93 VII. Faust's Blindness and the Inner Light: Some Questions for the Future 103 Appendix. A Note on Goethe's Epistemology in Contrast to Kant 132 Bibliography 135 Preface Although these seven essays are devoted to Goethe's Faust and each finds its starting-point in specific themes in the work, one could term Alan Cottrell's book a monograph on Faust only by considerably narrowing the intent of his analyses. To be sure, the attraction of these investigations derives to a great extent from the manner in which they unfold inner relationships between the two parts of the drama according to Goethe's concepts of prefiguration, analogy, polarity, metamorphosis, and intensification ("Steigerung"). The unity of the work thus becomes clearly evident; the often neglected second part regains its position of equality next to the first, and the reader perceives an underlying coherence which joins the initial "Zueignung" to the very last lines of the drama. Again and again these investigations focus with almost microscopic precision on individual aspects of Faust: in these passages the linguistic "body" of the poem is brought clearly into view and we are made to realize how in his highly con­ scious choice of syllables, consonants, and vowels Goethe was able to portray the metamorphoses oflife in words, or how he could shape, within the structure of a line, the macrocosmic order of which that very line speaks. In other passages Goethe's view ofliving, active nature, as revealed to him in plant life, or his vision oflight and color, emerges through the interpretation of a single stanza, even a word. This constant variation of perspective leads to important discoveries for Faust scholarship. The technique sometimes is applied to single episodes which suddenly reveal essential structural and thematic significance, or to momentous questions such as those of poetic imagination and genius, which Faust shares with works of the Romantic Movement in Europe and America. Of special interest is Alan Cottrell's treatment of the themes of redemption and grace, his solution of the controversial problem ofGoethe's Christianity and Hellenism. This leads him to a number of astounding thoughts which represent a decisive step forward in the interpretation ofFaust. Such observations, however, do not reveal the genuine character of this book. The author's thought process consists in a constant widening of scope, until from each particular topic of investigation and from ever new aspects of Faust, Goethe emerges in his full intellectual stature. This is not achieved solely in the traditional manner of consulting Goethe's other writings for a better under­ standing of Faust. To be sure, Alan Cottrell takes seriously the maxim that Xl Goethe's work is of one piece and that each aspect of his poetry, dramas, novels, his scientific writings, as well as his correspondence and recorded conversations illuminates each other facet of his work. The author substantiates the dynamic unity of Goethe's opus and demonstrates equal intimacy with the poetic, scienti­ fic, and theoretical writings. Yet Goethe's intellectual stance must be understood in a much more fundamental sense. It is his central spiritual impulse which is not only elaborated here through seven different approaches, but is also raised as a profound challenge to our time. In short, Faust is projected into the cultural con­ text of the modern world. Goethe's mode of thinking is applied to the spiritual problems of our age, not to provide definitive answers, but as a stimulus to further creative thought. What is this spiritual impulse, this Goethean mode of thinking? Alan Cottrell finds it in a particular attitude of mind which forms the unified basis underlying both Goethe's artistic imagination and his scientific method. Both sides of Goethe's work derive from one common root, namely, a visual reasoning ("an­ schauende Urteilskraft"), a creative contemplation which apprehends images and forms in their material embodiment and penetrates the spiritual realities of nature through a precise insight into the interrelatedness of spirit and matter. Goethe the poet and Goethe the scientist are united in Goethe the thinker. The most fascinating parts of these investigations are without doubt those which reveal the importance for Faust of Goethe's scientific writings and, conversely, find in Faust unexpected illumination of his scientific investigations. Goethe's art appears as a poetic transformation of his scientific vision, and his science reveals the same insight into the metamorphoses of living nature which directs his poetic imagi­ nation. These insights are important to Goethe scholarship. Yet the author does not content himself with mere theoretical understanding. He holds that we have yet to discover this perhaps most crucial aspect of Goethe's work for ourselves, and that we should look to Goethe as a source of inspiration for solutions to present scientific and social problems, a source which we have perhaps overlooked in our critical and aesthetic preoccupation with Goethe. He contends that Goethe's intellectual stance and the epistemology and method implicit in it are capable of opening as yet largely unexplored avenues of thought which lead to invaluable new understanding. Goethe's challenge to the thinking ofour age relates especially to the morality of science. Just as Goethe saw in the life of nature a continual evolution of forms, so too did he see human knowledge as capable of ever higher levels of develop­ ment. Goethe tasks the scientist with grave responsibilities. A moral discipline is demanded of him which would lead to the development of new organs of apprehension and understanding enabling him to transcend our mechanistic view of nature and penetrate into spiritual realities which could lead to the elevation of life itself. Xll At this point, however, Alan Cottrell's essays will best speak for themselves, since such thoughts on Goethe's humanism are the substance of his book. One last word, however, may be permitted concerning his approach to Goethe. He emphasizes that Goethe's mode of thinking is alive and never ceases to generate new insight. This fundamental thesis is not only developed but is also applied as a critical method in this book. For it is precisely Goethe's epistemology and the method of"zarte Empirie" which informs