A talk by Mary Floyd-Wilson, Professor of English, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
This presentation argues that Doctor Faustus's staging of spirits, in both emblematic and illusionist modes, not only aligns with early modern demonology but also speaks to Protestant concerns about the theatricality of the Devil. Representations of physical devils, reformers argued, distracted Christians from the "hidden assaults of Satan and his spirits" and from the everyday labor of distinguishing demonic intrusions from God's grace and one's own thoughts. For reformers, popular depictions of devils with horns and claws could lull "Christians into a false sense of security," since they were unlikely to encounter a physical devil who shows himself openly.
Doctor Faustus stages demonic power in two ways: as spectacular theatrics and invisible temptation. While physical devils repeatedly distract Faustus into complacency and submission, the audience is able to discern, from a privileged position, how the Devil's invisible and more sinister operations drive the unwitting Doctor to despair.
This talk takes place in the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art auditorium. The University Forum lecture series is sponsored and funded by the UNLV College of Liberal Arts and the Dean’s Associates. All are welcome and entry is free. No RSVP required.
Image: Deborah Aschheim, November 21, 1936 (San Antonio) (detail), 2013, Ink on Duralar. Photo courtesy Krystal Ramirez.
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