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Henry Putnam University Professor of History Anthony T. Grafton of the History Department reveals the real Dr. Faust. Who was Dr. Faust? We all know of Faust's tragic bargain with the devil through the works of Marlowe, Goethe and Berlioz - three famous renditions of Faust's often-fictionalized tale. But the legends of Faust were inspired by the life of a real person, one Georg - or perhaps Johannes - Faustus, who died around 1540.

Dr. Faust's mixed historical legacy includes an enduring reputation for skill in sorcery and necromancy, alchemy, astrology, fortune telling, fraud, and diabolical personal conduct. Contemporaries such as Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon condemned Faust for his evil ways and spoke of his almost certain damnation. But they also acknowledged Faustus's impressive attainments in many branches of arts and sciences. This course restores Faustus to his own time, in the early decades of the sixteenth century. Then, he was admittedly a famous learned magician - a magus - yet only one among many magi who could claim special knowledge of new discoveries inspired by study of a forgotten past.

The lectureware is FREE to alumni, and requires the latest Macromedia Flash Player. It comprises about one hour of audio synchronized with images, animations, video, and text, and subdivided into segments of about ten minutes, so participants may proceed at their own pace.

If you have a high-speed connection, such as DSL or Cable Modem, you may take the course directly over the Internet by clicking the Attend button. Otherwise you may order the stand-alone CD-ROM by clicking on the Order CD.

NOTE: Parents and immediate relatives of students and alumni are encouraged to participate but must register separately: send an email to: etc@princeton.edu