Word: faustian
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...strongest cravings of his curiousity; in the closing scene he spits upon these pleasures, as he faces his punishment, the inevitable consequence of his boldness. Michael Kaplan's verson of Christopher Marlowe's classic play loses some of the middle ground, but captures with force the weight of the Faustian decision and the heights and depths of emotion that it entails...
...story proceeds in flashback us ing Salieri as narrator. The device impedes the dynamics of the play and some times makes the Viennese court seem like a cynically corrupted version of Grover's Corners. Early on, when Salieri is 16, he kneels in prayer and makes a Faustian compact with God. He vows to excel in virtue, magnify his talents and live his life as a tribute to his creator if only God will grant him fame...
...long trek from the days of one, two, three, many. It can be taken as a symptom of exuberant joy in the quantity and multiplicity of things. Still, the dizzy acceptance of those truly incomprehensible figures might also be construed as a vicarious variation of the old Faustian game: the yearning to know the unknowable...
...Shelley's monster is quick on his feet and can speak like a Romantic poet on an off night: "I will glut the maw of death until it be satiated with the blood of your remaining friends." Similarly, most popular dramatizations of the novel have singled out the Faustian side of Frankenstein's quest: the monster is his punishment for seeking too much power...
...announcer-combine the energy and appetites of the Middle West with the legendary qualities of Sholom Aleichem's villagers. Elkin makes much joyful noise unto the Lord, but there is also banter to deflect the wrath, and complaining because it might do some good. There are no booming Faustian bargains in his work; just fast, uneasy verbal agreements between small businessmen and their omnipotent Wholesale Supplier...