HUMAN 120, Fall, 2014
Prof. DeGrassi & Dr. Harnett
Week 9 Class Notes, page 1
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Exam 3: Baroque Era.
See me immediately if you missed this exam to arrange a makeup, due to be
completed within a week.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Announcements:
 Annotations on Faust excerpts due. Also, we will go over them with an inclass exercise meant to help you understand the story and its Romantic
nature that you will complete and hand in for regular credit.
 Exam 2 Paper (Renaissance) returned. Exam 3 will be graded ASAP.
 Art Term Paper information. The assignment will be posted on the
website. It’s due the Tuesday before Thanksgiving (11/25/2014).
o Copy a painting in the Norton Simon collection.
o Analyze Elements of Art using tracing paper.
o Written portion:
 Milieu
 Zeitgeist
 Commentary on what pleases you about the painting, and
what does not—and why.
Introduction to Romanticism: A reaction to The Enlightenment of the 18th
Century (The Neoclassical Period or The Age of Reason—Romanticism contrasts
that mindset). For more information, you may refer to an overview of the
Romantic Period at
http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/hum_303/romanticism.html.
Based on this overview, here are some characteristics of Romanticism:
 The Abstract (as opposed to the concrete)
 Emotion
 Glorification of childhood
 Individualism
 Nature
 Beauty
 Revolution
“Classical vs. Anti-Classical” or Romantic: on handout. The basis of this
distinction is the basis of your preferences for various expressions in all forms of
art. In general, classic emphasizes order and logic, while romantic emphasizes
dynamics and emotion.
Examples of Neoclassical Art (to show the contrast to Romanticism):
 Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721)
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/watteau/
 Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825)
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/david/
HUMAN 120, Fall, 2014
Prof. DeGrassi & Dr. Harnett
Week 9 Class Notes, page 2
Examples of Romantic Art:
 Théodore Géricault (1791-1824), The Raft of the Medusa
http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/g/gericaul/1/105geric.html or
http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~janzb/courses/phi2010/gericaultraft.htm
o Also see it on the Louvre’s website:
http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/raft-medusa
 Eugène Delacroix (April 26, 1798-August 13, 1863)
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/delacroix/

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, Faust (selections/excerpt) begin at
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/14591/14591-h/14591-h.htm Read: these selected scenes:
o “Prelude at the Theatre”
o “The Prologue in Heaven”
o I. “Night”
o III-IV. “In the Study”
o VI. “Witches’ Kitchen”
o XVI. “Martha’s Garden”
o XX. “Cathedral”
o XXV. “Dungeon”
** Annotations due on these excerpts, 1 or more Fact and corresponding Insight
from each of the 8 selected scenes, plus 2 other annotations from any scenes.
In Class Discussion and Notes for Credit—Hand in your work when
complete today.




“The Prelude at the Theatre
o name the 3 characters and their roles
o what does each want?
“The Prologue in Heaven”
o the bet between Mephistopheles (Satan) and the Lord
 compare The Book of Job, which Goethe used as a basis for
this scene, at
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/bible/job/intro.htm
o In Part 1, Mephistopheles takes Faust, flying through the air, to
various places to tempt him in search of the greatest moment of
pleasure there is, for which Faust has signed a pact in a drop of his
blood. Compare this traveling through time and space to Dante’s
Divine Comedy and Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
Scene 1, “Night”
o Faust in his study—frustrated that he feels he knows
nothing
 Nostradamus—not satisfying
 “Earth-Spirit”—not satisfying
 Wagner—too limited to the “classical”
 Suicide attempt begun and stopped (note Faust’s
romanticism in both his frustrations and emotional desire to
live)
scene VI, “Witches’ Kitchen”
HUMAN 120, Fall, 2014
Prof. DeGrassi & Dr. Harnett
Week 9 Class Notes, page 3
o talking apes (lemurs in some translations); Faust changed into a
handsome young man; Helen of Troy materializes. What is the
significance of these transformations?
o In the previous scene, “Auerbach’s Cellar,” people behave like
animals; in this scene, animals behave as humans. What does that
suggest?
Summary of the first part:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faust:_The_First_Part_of_the_Traged
y#The_Prologue_in_the_Theatre
Discuss Scenes from Gretchen’s Tragedy (as assigned for
Annotations): What key ideas or themes stand out in each one?
How are these scenes representative of Romanticism? Refer back to
the elements of Romanticism.
XVI. MARTHA'S GARDEN: What are Margaret’s concerns about Faust?
What are Faust’s beliefs about God, etc.?
What are Mephistopheles’ reactions to the conversation, which he has
eavesdropped?
XX. CATHEDRAL: Summarize Margaret’s experience in the cathedral. What
does this signify?
XXV. DUNGEON: What happens when Faust calls out to Margaret? Why
does this happen? What does Mephistopheles say is Margaret’s outcome at
the end? What does The Voice say right after that? What do we conclude
about Margaret?
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe. Biographical information at
http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc20.html
Information about the story of Faust and related legends (Goethe’s is
not the first nor the last, but it is generally considered the most noteworthy):
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/faust.html
Illustrations of Faust—Discuss the interpretations of the story they
emphasize.
Also, what elements of Romanticism are evident in the illustrations?
 An Etching of Faust by Rembrandt (c. 1650) at
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rembrandt,_Faust.jpg
o http://mysteriouswritings.com/the-mysterious-light-ofrembrandts-faust/ [with commentary]


Illustrations by Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863, foremost French
Romantic painter) at http://www.allart.org/neoclasscism/goethe1.html
Painting: Wilhelm Koller, Austrian artist born 1829 - died 1884: Faust
and Mephistopheles Waiting for Gretchen at the Cathedral
Door http://artmight.com/Artists/Koller-Wilhelm/KollerWilhelm-Faust-And-Memphistopheles-Waiting-For-Gretchen-
HUMAN 120, Fall, 2014
Prof. DeGrassi & Dr. Harnett
Week 9 Class Notes, page 4
At-The-Cathedral-Door-194475p.html
Romantic Music
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Romantic+
Music&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#q=romantic+era+composers&rls=en
Romantic Music Inspired by Faust
 Gounod, Finale of Faust at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZZiAWC_bIw
Other musical interpretations of Faust
Franz Liszt, Faust Symphony (Final Chorus) at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U_g0UnWjJU (9:46—(Boston
Symphony conducted –passionately—by the great Leonard Bernstein. Final 30
seconds are at around 7:00)
Hector Berlioz, The Damnation of Faust
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZYO4_Ed_AQ
Franz Liszt, piano adaptation of the Faust Symphony
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpBX5uR0-zo
 “The Best Ending Ever,” from a video called Who’s Afraid of
Opera, showing Gounod’s Faust, with Margaret going to Heaven
at the end (with some puppets inserted as commentators!)
(1973)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3pAinJhdnM&feature=rel
ated
Also: Example in Poetry: Schiller’s “An die Freude”
http://www.schillerinstitute.org/fid_91-96/931_Schiller_Ode.html
Example in Music: Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” a transition between classical
and Romantic: instrumental
Last 10 minutes of Ninth Symphony: Introduced with commentary by the great
conductor, Leonard Bernstein, then performed by the Vienna Philharmonic (LB’s
commentary until about 3:40)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZJ1Tgf4JL8&feature=related
For Next Time:
Read William Blake, selections from Songs of Innocence and Songs of
Experience http://www.gailgastfield.com/Blake.html
Assigned poems:
 Selections from Songs of Innocence:
o “Introduction,”
o “Holy Thursday,”
o “The Little Black Boy,”
o “The Lamb,”
o “Night” at http://www.gailgastfield.com/innocence/soi.html
 Selections from Songs of Experience:
HUMAN 120, Fall, 2014
Prof. DeGrassi & Dr. Harnett
o
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Week 9 Class Notes, page 5
“Introduction,”
“The Clod and the Pebble,”
“Holy Thursday,”
“London,”
“A Poison-Tree” at
http://www.gailgastfield.com/experience/soe.html