The course examines various artistic incarnations of the character of Dr. Faust and of Faustian themes such as the insatiability of the human quest for knowledge, love, eternal youth, freedom from restrictions, and immortality. The course will trace the Faustian legend through five centuries of its existence and its obstinate reappearance in literature in a variety of genres (drama, poetry, prose) and in attendant art forms (literary, theatrical, cinematic, musical, visual) across widely changing historical and ideological landscapes. We begin with the study of the versions of the oldest extant Faust legends that describe the pact with the devil during the times of the Protestant Reformation, as well as the legendary Faustian miracles and the descriptions of his damnation. We then move onward to read such prime Faustian authors as Christopher Marlowe, Goethe, Thomas Mann, David Mamet, as well as opera and rock librettos, graphic books and chapbooks, and other sources. Special attention will be paid to notable versions of Faust written by women, its use in the literature of protest, and to the variations of the Faustian legend in Soviet Russia, Nazi Germany, and in the period after the fall of communism. Is there a place for Faust among us today?