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FaustFest Fiasco
Why has the Faustian phenomenon endured (at least in literature) for 400 years? Although not in the realms of popular literature, its niche appeal amongst academics and the deranged merited further investigation. The World Classics 1962 reprint of their 1949 revision (first published in 1907) may be a little difficult to purchase, but this version contains both Marlow's Tragical History of Dr. Faustus (first published in 1604) and the first part of Gothe's Faust (first published in 1808). In addition, you get the brilliant - if somewhat prolix - introduction and commentary by Sir Adolphus William Ward (written in 1907), lasting some xxxii pages in 8 pt font. It was Ward's comment that "German comedians" had represented the story in 1695 that indicated there was possibly a humorous element that may have been overlooked by previous studies.
Who knows what language they were singing in? Our guess is German, but attempts at constant reference to a German-English dictionary and then phrase book weren't successful. Being too impatient to wait for Kiri te Kanawa's rendition of Marguerite in Act 2 to see if sheep were mentioned (which would have indicated if they were singing in English, but with New Zealand accents), it was time to move onto a different research strategy.
But the provision of a plot summary and character description was invaluable. Somehow, reading the précis in modern English (expressed in words of no more than two syllables with minimal use of apostrophes) made the whole thing very easy to understand. Memo to Cliff Notes: you missed this one. Unfortunately, it did not assist in locating this subtle humor element hinted at by Ward in 1907.
It seems that Cargher had also considered humor in opera, noting that "The point, or rather the question is: can music make a joke funnier ... The answer is clearly no." But he wasn't actually discussing Faust, which is listed in the chapter on Spectaculars. However, there was a mention here of "the impressive ballet scene at the village fair" (notably missing from the World Classics edition containing both Marlow and Goethe plays, and also on the audio CD of Gornod's opera), a whole new vista of procrastionable possibilities opened up. Now, where did we put our tutu? .... ... ... No more to read here >>
MORE ORIGINAL HUMOR
Research has shown that the average librarian will take 15 to 20 minutes to read this web page. Anecdotal evidence is suggesting that many librarians fear they do not have enough time to investigate the humor links. The majority of the 90+ original library humor items (all written by Biblia, and not available anywhere else on the 'net) in the Humor Index are designed to take less than 2 minutes to read. However, if you choose to hang around there for hours reading them all, then re-reading them, then WLW cannot take any responsibility. You now have the choice of using the genetically unmodified Alphabetical Index or the dolphin-safe Dewey Version. Caffeine-free version has been temporarily canned, pending an FDA investigation ... MOST POPULAR BIBLIA PAGES TO DATE:
... ... No more to read here >> |
As college students voice their concerns about the ever-increasing price of books, one wonders if this might lead to an increased awareness in the value of libraries, or an escalation in book theft from same ... The British Museum's 250th Anniversary celebration publicity mentions that the museum was founded around Sloan Collection, which features (amongst other things) 71,000 artifacts and 50,000 books and manuscripts. Presumably Sloan's personal property, and not unreturned library books .... Timely warning about keeping your library cats under control. The disabled man's suit against the library was rejected, after his assistance dog was shredded by the library cat ... Representatives of the media, librarians and archivists met yesterday in Almaty, Kazakhstan, to discuss the formulation of a national information policy. One of the key documents discussed during the meeting was the Draft "Policy Guidelines for the Development and Promotion of Public Domain Information" that is being prepared under UNESCO's auspices. Obviously, a great deal of time is consumed with the construction of appropriate titles for these documents ... India's Ranchi International Library and Cultural Centre not only offers access to over 35,000 books (without any government funding), but its library programs also include languages and a week-long crash course in Personal Grooming ... The most recent International Survey of Literacy shows Bulgaria's pupils ranked No#4, behind Sweden, the Netherlands and England. However, there is speculation regarding the relationship between this and the increasing truancy rate in Bulgaria ... There is no more >>
A lot of people mistake a short memory for a clear conscience. Doug Larson
Got a wide vocab and some basic drawing skills (or a good imagination)? Then Ink Link might be for you. Play online in real time with self-proclaimed other real people ... There is no more >>
Although claiming to be aimed at literary aficionados, people who appreciate good books might also enjoy Today in Literature. This one might even be worth linking from your library's home page ... There is no more >>
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In a desperate bid to avoid household duties (the ironing is now 7 weeks in arrears), the Warrior Librarian revisited the greatly under appreciated WLW article 
But the Warrior Librarian Literature Analysis Unit couldn't find anything funny in this edition. Refusing to be daunted (and faced with the prospect of redeployment to Domestic Services), Gounod's opera Faust was pulled out of the CD collection.
Resorting to the Chambers Encyclopedia of Music incidentally brought to light the fact that the opera is based only "on Goethe's poem and not part of the legend".
The next obvious step was to reflect on the nature of opera, and reflect on the possible paradox that a tragedy might rely on comical elements. John Cargher's How to Enjoy Opera without really trying (ISBN ) was a great read, particularly his comments on what constitutes a Boring Opera.
MASS MEDIA: Yet again, there has been no coverage in any of the national papers on either Biblia or Warrior Librarian Weekly. Sheesh, even the Blacktown Sun and the Blacktown Advocate seem to be completely tied up with other stories ...
CONFERENCES Biblia's next conference appearance is scheduled on 
ACADEMIA: The University of Texas at Arlington now lists this website on its page 'Websites for Professional Growth'...
INTERNET: Google now lists 'about' 1,830 hits for a search on the phrase "warrior librarian". Not that we check regularly or anything ....
FROM THE MAILBOX: There's been an interesting increase in the number of "bouncing" emails coming back to our mailbox - particularly as they weren't sent from here. When we find out who's spoofing our address to send p*orn*graphic spam, boy, are they in deep trouble ...
