Dr Faustus of Modern Physics - Department of Speech, Music and ...

Chapter 5
Oxford Faust Festival 2011
The Oxford Faust Festival 2011 is presented as follows:
• If anyone is planning a trip to Oxford later this month, there is still time
to see a couple of the events that are part of the Oxford Faust Festival.
The story of the scholar who sells his soul to the devil Mephistopheles
in exchange for secret knowledge had an important influence on many
gothic writers. The world-famous Blackwell’s bookshop is the stage for
The Creation Theatre company’s production of Christopher Marlowe’s
Doctor Faustus, with the demon Mephistopheles wandering among the
bookshelves.
Creation actor Gus Gallagher, who is playing the title role of Dr Faustus,
presents his character as follows:
• Faustus is one of these types you get a lot of round here, I suspect. He’s
something of a perpetual student.
• The opening text tells that he arrived at Wittenberg, his university town,
at a very early age it could have been as young as 13 or 14. We’ve got
him down as something of a childhood genius so far as his intellect is
concerned.
• Having arrived at university very early, hes been there for some time.
He’s now in his late twenties, he’s done his first degree, his PhD, and
his research fellowship.
• He’s done everything. He’s excelled at divinity, at law, at medicine, at
philosophy. He’s an all-round absolute brainiac.
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