Books by George Santayana
“Goethe absorbs virtually his entire cultural knowledge into Faust. The poems of Lucretius and Dante have the same universal scope. Santayana’s thought was that, by juxtaposing the three, we can acquire a synoptic understanding of the materialist worldview of classical antiquity, the theological worldview of late medieval Europe, and then, in Goethe’s work, the Romantic conception of life, love, striving, and historical change. Santayana’s study affords us then a profound appreciation of what Goethe meant by world literature.” Read more...
David E. Wellbery, Literary Scholar
Interviews where books by George Santayana were recommended
The Best Goethe Books, recommended by David E. Wellbery
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) has been described as ‘the last true polymath to walk the earth’. A defining figure in German literature, Goethe coined the concept of world literature. And his literary and dramatic achievements are matched by his scientific work. David E. Wellbery, Professor of Germanic Studies at the University of Chicago and recipient of the Golden Goethe Medal, introduces us to the life and work of Goethe. He explores why figures such as Beethoven and Napoleon were magnetised to him, how Rousseau influenced Faust, and why Goethe’s Faust does not sell his soul to the devil.
