Faust

correct.

And the concept of the devil being based on, you know, like Faustus, Dr. Faustus.

Yeah.

Again, not the Bible.

And also there's a little pentagram symbol that appears all over the place.

There's a feeling that Rotwang, the scientist, is kind of Faustian.

He's a wizard, a mystical figure.

He's getting forbidden knowledge and he's doing forbidden actions, but with all the trappings of science.

But what's interesting, and I know that you're getting to this, Janet, at the age of 18, his father writes to him and says, among other things, that your heart is obviously animated and governed by a demon not granted to all men.

Is that demon heavenly or Faustian? Now, the average person listening right now thinks of Faust who made a deal with the devil and lost his soul to hell.

But that's not the Faust that he is referring to.

He's referring to a different Faust.

Then bring them thither through the tortuous path of the inquisition to my presence." Accordingly, they were taken to the anteroom, and while being prepared for the journey, they were given plain intimation that they were to make a repast of the angleworms and fondly handle the young rodents, while direct hints of riding the bellicose goat were thrown out as though this were the least of the tests to which they were to be subjected.

Preparation for their return to the temple being completed, their readiness was again communicated as before, and to the solemn but inspiring adante of Faust, they began to wind through a path of serpentine evolutions.

On their journey, many strange and threatening voices came to their ears, some cursing their undertaking and advising them to return before too late, some whispering that they were about to step into an abyss and to encounter dire disaster.

But by guidance and occasional prod by the trident of timid and erratic disciples, they proceeded onward with cautious steps.

I want to be exempt so that I can maximize the Holy See's profits." And the Pope says yes, which is quite something.

I mean, that's a Faustian pact if ever there is one.

And the Vatican's relationship with banking has not been great, but also probably because, and I don't want to seem too apologetic, but I don't think priests are good with money, not because they're ignorant or silly, but because it's not part of their vocation.

And therefore, unscrupulous people that are good with money can get in there and cause major problems.

while direct hints of riding the bellicose goat were thrown out, as though this were the least of the tests to which they were to be subjected.

Preparation for their return to the temple being completed, their readiness was again communicated as before, and to the solemn but inspiring Dante of Faust, they began to wind through a path of serpentine evolutions.

On their journey...

many strange and threatening voices came to their ears, some cursing their undertaking and advising them to return before too late, some whispering that they were about to step into an abyss and to encounter dire disaster.

So sang an Irish maid of long ago, and to-day we still look to Ireland for some of the finest spinning and weaving in existence.

It would be trite to refer to Margaret dreaming of Faust over her spinning, were she not eminently typical.

What maiden of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries did not sit in the garden idly spinning her allotted tasks while her thoughts were far away? It is a picture based on fact, as all great literary pictures are.

End of section 2.