All About Books discussion

The focus play for our Elizabethan drama theme April-June 2017 is Christopher Marlowe's The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus. Feel free to comment on any performances or adaptations you have seen in addition to the written play!

I'm looking forward to this. Thanks, Leslie.

Leslie wrote: "The focus play for our Elizabethan drama theme April-June 2017 is Christopher Marlowe's The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus. Feel free to comment on any performances or adaptations y..."

What a funny coincidence Leslie! I've just written a post on my blog https://unideadivita.blogspot.it/2017... about the book of Christopher Marlowe and Dr Faustus. It's in Italian and is also in coincidence with the publication of Pope Benedict XVI's last book https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3.... Meaningful coincidences ...

I plan on joining in. Have requested my copy from the library.

Petra wrote: "I plan on joining in. Have requested my copy from the library."

Same here :)

I've got my copy and started this yesterday. What a pleasure to read! I was very apprehensive about this, as I've been having trouble recently with reading plays, without having watched them. No fear here, it's a delight to read. I have just under half left to read this afternoon. I'll give more of my thoughts when I've finished.

Pink wrote: "I've got my copy and started this yesterday. What a pleasure to read! I was very apprehensive about this, as I've been having trouble recently with reading plays, without having watched them. No fe..."

Good to hear Pink! I still have to get a copy but hope to read it sometime this month.

Ben wrote: "Dr Faustus. Is his related to Goethe's Faust ? Google is not kosher for me"

Yes, the same basic story.

I'm hoping to get to this later in the month.

I'm starting this now. I'll report back soon!

I enjoyed reading this. I also listened to a very interesting Great Courses chapter on Christopher Marlowe. Apparently, if he hadn't been murdered, he could well have been a greater playwright than Shakespeare. His great strength was his talent in writing blank verse.

Pink, did you notice that the word ' metempsychosis' comes up in the play, near the end? Last (and first!) time I came across that word was in Ulysses.

I'm glad you liked it Gill, I've also heard that we'd probably be discussing his works above Shakespeare's if it wasn't for his death.

I didn't notice the word metempsychosis being present here and in Ulysses! It's the sort of word that I think I should know, or assume everyone else does, but I don't really know what it means. I had to look it up.

Yes, that's the word that Molly keeps mispronouncing. Bloom comments on it a few times, and then Molly also talks about it in her soliloquy. In terms of Faust, it appeared quite near the end of it.

Ah, yes I remember it well in Ulysses now! I don't think I even noticed it in Faust. I think I have a bad habit of skipping over words when I don't really know what they mean, instead of actually looking them up while I'm reading. That's easier to do with kindle/online books though.

I've just come across a teachers' pack for the play:

https://cdn2.rsc.org.uk/sitefinity/ed...

Gill wrote: "Pink, did you notice that the word ' metempsychosis' comes up in the play, near the end? Last (and first!) time I came across that word was in Ulysses. ..."

Totally unrelated, but just came across this word again in Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges. At least I remembered what it meant this time!

Oh, I didn't say I knew what it meant! Well done for remembering the meaning, Pink.

:)