Faust*

Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832), Germany's greatest poet, occupies an important position in the history of world literature and is known as one of the four literary giants alongside Homer, Dante, and Shakespeare. "Faust" is Goethe's representative work, a poetic tragedy. It was created based on folklore in the 16th century. It is a masterpiece that Goethe devoted his whole life to writing. It describes the protagonist Faust's painful experience of searching for truth throughout his life, reflects the history of the entire Europe from the Renaissance to the early 19th century, and reminds the constant struggle between the two forces of light and darkness, progress and backwardness, science and superstition. Goethe used Faust's ambition and pursuit to express his own lofty and beautiful ideals for the future of mankind. The book consists of a series of narrative poems, lyric poems, dramas, operas and dance dramas, covering theology, mythology, philosophy, science, aesthetics, literature, music and political economy.