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Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

1978; Western Michigan University; Volume: 12; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/cdr.1978.0020

1936-1637

Edith L. Pøtter,

Reviews 173 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Faust. A New Translation by Walter Arndt, Edited by Cyrus Hamlin. A Norton Critical Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1976. Pp. xi + 626. Hardcover, $15.00; paperback $3.95. Praise is due to Walter Arndt as translator and Cyrus Hamlin as editor for cooperating on a new annotated translation, supplemented by carefully selected critical essays, of Goethe’s Faust. Translating Faust is a formidable task as evidenced by the successes and failures of past Faust translations. As many readers know, finding a suitable translation of Faust can prove to be a frustrating experience. On comparing dif­ ferent translations one sometimes wishes one could make a collage of the most successful passages from different editions, but immediately resists that temptation for the sake of unity of style. For readers ac­ quainted with German, bi-lingual editions, if available, offer sometimes a compromise, giving them an incentive to check the original against the translation and in this way gaining a better understanding of the work. But this does not solve the problem either. Besides, such editions might be deficient in other respects. Therefore, Walter Arndt’s new translation and the format in which it is presented is a genuine, much needed con­ tribution to existing Faust translations, no matter how accomplished some of them may be. It is up-to-date and lively, recreating as much as that is possible the atmosphere of the original. The inclusion of critical material makes it even more valuable and useful. Let us turn first to Arndt’s translation. Its strength lies, to a large extent, in reproducing skillfully in English the many different metrical forms of the German original. This is no mean achievement, considering the great variety of ancient and modem verse forms employed by Goethe throughout the work, reflecting changes in literary movements as well as in Goethe’s own personal development as a poet. The reader with the sound of the original German in his ear will be amazed how easily Arndt’s language, its rhythm and imagery, often recalls the original, how one seems to relive in the English setting many well-known scenes. Mephistopheles’ irony and wit, the ribaldry of Auerbach’s Tavern, and the brazen bluntness of the Baccalaureus all come out very well. Readers without this advantage will at least get a vicarious impression of the liveliness, beauty and force of Goethe’s language, its melody, lilt, and saucy humor. In line with the tradition of the Norton Critical Editions, this new translation provides the inquisitive reader and student with generous background material and annotations necessary to an understanding of this dramatic poem. Inasmuch as such a background is even indispensable for reading Faust in the original, the more so it is for the English-speaking reader approaching the difficult work in translation. Equally welcome are the excellent footnotes—printed at the bottom of each page for easy reference—explaining obscure passages or concepts, or drawing atten­ tion to stylistic and metrical features. The editor as well as the translator spared no efforts to include critical material dealing with background and sources as well as reac­ tions of Goethe’s contemporaries. Modern criticism is represented by 174 Comparative Drama a selection of essays by leading international Goethe scholars, intro­ ducing the reader to the scope and variety of contemporary Faust re­ search. Further useful tools are the analytical table and interpretative notes, as well as an essay by Walter Arndt, inviting us, as it were, into his translator’s workshop and discussing with us his philosophy of translating. Cyrus Hamlin’s essay on “Reading Faust” tries to focus on three main perspectives in this complex drama. Students reading Faust for the first time will especially benefit from it and should read it first. Obviously, even the best translation is open for criticism, particu­ larly a work of the length and complexity of Faust. Passages can be found in the Walter Kaufmann or Bayard Taylor/Stuart Atkins transla­ tions that are preferable to those of Arndt, but, by and large, this new translation has more often than not improved on existing translations, giving the reader for the first time in some instances...