1st Edition
Faustus and the Promises of the New Science, c. 1580-1730 From the Chapbooks to Harlequin Faustus
By Christa King
Copyright 2008
216 Pages
by
Routledge
216 Pages
by
Routledge
Also available as eBook on:
Having identified the literary origins of the Faustus legend in the German Faust Book (1587) and its English translation (1592), this book argues that these works transformed a simple rogue's tale into an incisive study of morality and beliefs. The chapbooks' contrastive portrayal of an imaginary experience of hell and a pseudo-scientific journey through the cosmos is interpreted as an... Read more
Contents: Introduction: radical explorations of Faustus; The insatiable speculator: the hero of the Faust books; The devil of empiricism: Marlowe's Doctor Faustus; The alternative worlds of the new science: Burton, Milton and Fontenelle; Comedies, farces and Harlequin Doctor Faustus; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.
Biography
Christa Knellwolf King is a Visiting Professor of English and Cultural History at the University of Konstanz while retaining an adjunct position at the Australian National University.
’Faustus and the Promises of New Science is a resourceful book and an invigorating read, worth the attention of anyone interested in the connections between literary studies, the social perception of science, and cultural history.’ The British Society for Literature and Science
