Faust: My Soul Be Damned for the World, Vol. 2

By: E.A. Bucchianeri
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Publication Date: September 2008 
ISBN-13: 978-1434390615 
Reviewed by: Michael Feld 
Review Date: February 23, 2009

Faust: My Soul Be Damned For The World, Volume II by E.A. Bucchianeri continues the same exacting historical research and investigation into both the life of Goethe and his finest work, Faust that began in Volume I.

As amply displayed in Volume I, Bucchianeri masterfully recounts significant historical, political, religious, and economic events that shaped Goethe’s intellectual and artistic development through the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Bucchianeri leads the reader into Goethe’s remarkable life. From an unfulfilling legal practice, to a duty bound series of political and artistic appointments to the Duchy of Weimar, the reader will understand how Goethe’s long and varied career defined much of the development of Faust. Of particular interest to the reader will be Bucchianeri’s exceptionally detailed and fascinating information on major factors such as Alchemy and Freemasonry and their influence on Goethe and subsequently all his literary works.

Faust: My Soul Be Damned For The World, Volume II begins with Goethe’s early life, dominated by a stern and demanding father. His father, who desires his son become a lawyer, stymies young Goethe’s poetic and literary inclinations. Bucchianeri then chronicles Goethe’s university years. As a student, and indeed throughout his long life, Goethe is obsessed with learning and is drawn to many differing disciplines. Goethe’s love of knowledge, and the price paid for its acquisition is clearly mirrored in the character of Faust.

As is the case with Volume I, Faust: My Soul Be Damned For The World, Volume II is not an easy read but the effort will be well rewarded. The reader will understand how the historical context of his day profoundly affects the work of an artist. Within the pages of Goethe’s Faust, Buchianeri will enable the reader to gain a deeper understanding not only of the literary and aesthetic value of the work, but a clearer insight to a remarkable stage in western European history.

Quill says: Here indeed, is an author capable of fusing aesthetic and literary analysis with a solid recount of history.

For more information on Faust: My Soul Be Damned for the World, Vol. 2, please visit the author's website at: greatbooks.bravehost.com