the iĄaculty oÍ' Graduate Ątudies April, L96[ - MSpace at the ...

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conclu.de with a quesiion wnicl:r demancls positive response"
Unon ühe answer io ihis ques'bion hangs the conclusion of
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Faustrs search. and bhe fate of man" Conscience abhors
+L^ -.^-i.J I l'f urr,- vuJ-L¿ \ r,Jø- ^ conscj-ence a horreur clu- videt ) vrroie Valéry
prior -uo ihe crea-tion of' his Ï-aust, and r'or ihisr ä[
eternal voi ce in nran Links this work v¡ith 'bhe great
tradiiion of iraust literatu-re"
,llhe theme of irausg in the rvor.ks of rviarlor,rf€ âild
Goeihe ha.s ì:een shoi^m io be the vital d-esire of man to
complete hirnself ancl 1.o grow into greater awareness of
the ultimaie fi)rster|es" iirhat is experienceo in Valér¡rts
inrork is the corn,olete reversal of' this iradition 'ührough
retrospective a.na.lysis anC defini-t ion. Valéryt s r"aus't
does not ascire to lbecomel, bu-t to slice throuL;gh the
ffuvt irnlrroe,'ì vårrv io 6f v¡ inrri-.h ¡ily LrlI d.,ll(-t ¡nrì'lao-ond IEóç!l(-¿ V,¡hiCh VrJ-lIl,ll haS IIqù fOrmed f, hiS pUi;liC
..
personality and i;hus to be freed frorn self-hood" Although
the setlse of growth is totally absent in this l'rork, ihe
rel-ease from the collfines oi'self cloes entail a process of
self-revelation or self-confession. Fa.ustts wriLitrg of
his jviemoires hance forms the only source of redetitption.
l.'rom this singular beginning, vrhereiri ¡-aust is i,ypified
å-s the cu-lmination of the whole i¡aust l;radíiion, the
,ourposes of the drarnatic fragnient is to re-cast the
spirit behind. the even'i.s. The aim, hov¡ever, is fraugh'c
wiLh po-tential difficu-lty, for Va]éryrs iraust confesses