Faustian bargain

English 2019 August 28 Etymology From the medieval legend of Faust, who made a contract with the Devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. The story first appeared in print in an anonymously written chapbook, Historia von D. Johann Fausten (1587),Historia von D. Johann Fausten, dem weitbeschreyten Zauberer und Schwartzkünstler, wie er sich gegen den Teuffel auff eine benandte Zeit verschrieben [...] bis er endtlich seinen wol verdienten Lohn empfangen. Mehrentheils aus seinen eygenen hinterlassenen Schriften [...] zusammengezogen [...] The History of Dr. Johann Fausten, the Greatly Bewitched Magician and Practitioner of the Black Arts, how He Committed Himself to the Devil for a Certain Time until He [...] Finally Received His Deserved Reward. Much of It has been Summarized from His Own Writings Left Behind [...] Frankfurt am Main, Germany Johann Spies 1587 84047397. which purported to contain tales about the life of the German alchemist and magician Johann Georg Faust (1466 yes or 1480 – c. 1541). It was particularly popularized by two plays, Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragicall History of D. Faustus (first published 1604)Ch[risopher] Marl[owe] Christopher Marlowe The Tragicall History of D. Faustus:As It hath bene Acted by the Right Honorable the Earle of Nottingham His Seruants. Written by Ch. Marl. London Printed by V[alentine] S[immes] for Thomas Bushell 1604 1049029231. and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust (published 1808 and 1832).[Johann Wolfgang von] Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Faust. Eine Tragödie. Faust. A Tragedy. Tübingen In der J[ohann] G[eorg] Cotta'schen Buchhandlung 1808 41086303; [Johann Wolfgang von] Goethe Faust. Der Tragödie zweyter Theil in fünf Acten. Faust. The Second Part of the Tragedy in Five Acts. Goethe’s nachgelassene Werke [Goethe’s Posthumous Works] 1 Tübingen [Johann Georg] Cotta 1832 310766352. Pronunciation en /ˈfaʊstɪən ˈbɑːɡən/ /-ɡɪn/ RP en En-uk-Faustian bargain.oga RP en /ˈfaʊstiən ˈbɑːɹɡən/ GA en ɑː(ɹ)ɡən 4 en Faust i an bar gain Noun en idiomatic An agreement in which a person abandons his or her spiritual values or moral principles in order to obtain knowledge, wealth or other benefits. en deal with the devil en The university’s abandonment of its founding value of academic freedom in exchange for the corporation’s large financial contribution was a Faustian bargain. en The Bookman’s Letter Box The Bookman: An Illustrated Magazine of Literature and Life New York, N.Y. Dodd, Mead and CompanyFifth Avenue and 35th Street August 1908 XXVII I 558 https://archive.org/details/bookman08unkngoog/page/n571/mode/1up 1 228681494 Most people nowadays, in this country at least, do not seem to be able to see anything else but money. They would cheerfully sell their souls to hell for it. Quite a number of them, according to the tencent magazines, have already made this Faustian bargain. en w:Frank Yerby 16 Floodtide New York, N.Y. The Dial Press 1950 291 https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.350798/page/n291/mode/1up 806572702 I've made my Faustian bargain—for this woman, I've sold my immortal soul … en Anne C. Petty Tolkien in the Land of Heroes: Discovering the Human Spirit Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. Cold Spring Press 2003 107 978-1-892975-99-7 A number of characters in Middle-earth engage in some kind of Faustian bargain where they are tempted with promises of power, wealth, and status. This is how Sauron ensnares the kings of men and dwarves with the elf-crafted rings of power. en Brett A. Berliner Mephistopheles and Monkeys: Rejuvenation, Race, and Sexuality in Popular Culture in Interwar France w:Journal of the History of Sexuality Chicago, Ill. w:University of Chicago Press; Austin, Tx.: University of Texas Press July 2004 13 3 309 1043-4070 3704836 1063908127 Rejuvenation was associated with a reinvigorated sex drive, and this connection generated an anxiety expressed in the Faustian bargain: damnation for a few extra years of carnal pleasure. en idiomatic A deal in which one focuses on present gain without considering the long-term consequences. en w:Joel Primack; w:Frank von Hippel Nuclear Reactor Safety: The Origins and Issues of a Vital Debate Samuel H. Day, Jr. w:Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Chicago, Ill. Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science October 1974 XXX 8 5 https://books.google.com/books?id=PwsAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA5 1 1938-3282 67091559 It has been remarked that all technology is a Faustian bargain: one obtains conveniences and sometimes luxuries, but in exchange one gets an increased potential for catastrophe. en Henry J. Reske What Price Prosecution?: Critics Claim Noriega Guilty Verdict Costly in Lives, ‘Faustian Bargains’ ABA Journal: The Lawyer’s Magazine Chicago, Ill. w:American Bar Association June 1992 78 20 https://books.google.com/books?id=Mm--5zn1iccC&pg=PA20 1 0747-0088 12253250 And the law's long arm loosened its grip on some drug dealers when prosecutors offered them deals for their testimony. "The government was hell-bent on convicting [Manuel] Noriega no matter what the cost," said Rep. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., chair of the House Subcommittee on Crime and Criminal Justice. "When you look at some of the Faustian bargains that were struck, you have to wonder: Did we really have to burn the village down in order to save it?" en Brian Bremner; Emily Thornton Blackmail!: A Rash of Scandals and a Government Crackdown are Showing how Mob-linked Investors—the Sokaiya—Prey on some of Japan’s Biggest Companies. Can Business Break Free? https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/1997-07-20/blackmail-intl-edition https://web.archive.org/web/20191219081305/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/1997-07-20/blackmail-intl-edition 19 December 2019 Businessweek 21 July 1997 But for decades, many executives actually employed sokaiya as muscle to keep unruly investors in check during their choreographed annual meetings. [...] Yet executives' reliance on mobsters turned out to be a Faustian bargain. By the 1970s, the sokaiya had figured out how to become stockholders themselves and threaten to ask embarrassing questions at annual meetings. 6 December 2018 en Ellen Barry Plain speaking from Biden in Moscow speech https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/11/world/europe/11biden.html https://web.archive.org/web/20120425105722/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/11/world/europe/11biden.html 25 April 2012 w:The New York Times 10 March 2011 Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. [...] used a speech at Moscow State University to criticize Russia’s legal and political systems, a move likely to irritate the country's leaders. [...] “I urge all you students here: Don’t compromise on the basic elements of democracy. You need not make that Faustian bargain.” Translations agreement in which a person abandons spiritual values or moral principles in order to obtain benefits Dutch: nl duivelspact n Finnish: fi faustilainen sopimus, fi sopimus paholaisen kanssa French: fr pacte faustien m, fr pacte avec le diable m German: de Teufelspakt m Hebrew: he עסקה פאוסטיאנית Italian: it patto col diavolo m Polish: pl pakt z diabłem m Portuguese: pt barganha faustiana f Romanian: ro pact cu diavolul Russian: ru сде́лка с дья́волом f Serbo-Croatian: sh faustovska pogodba f, sh ugovor s vragom, sh ugovor s đavlom, sh ugovor s đavolom Spanish: es pacto fáustico, es pacto con el diablo m deal in which one focuses on present gain without considering the long-term consequences Finnish: fi faustilainen sopimus, fi sopimus paholaisen kanssa Portuguese: pt barganha faustiana f See also en sell one's soul References Further reading deal with the Devil Faust en eponyms