The great German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once wrote:
Poetry if you would know,
To its country you must go;
If the poet you would know,
To the poet's country go.
Goethe’s tragedy, "Faust," is one of the greatest masterpieces not only of German literature but of world literature as well. His work will be the subject of the Wilton Library's spring poetry series, led by Dr. Gerald Weiss. The free and open to the public four-week series begins March 15 from 10:30 - 12 p.m.
Although no English translation can capture the beauty of his poetry or the depth of Goethe's thought, an exposure to his various poetical forms and the relevance of his underlying message for our own time is too important to ignore. As someone has said: 'It is the poem of Humanity.” Since this poetic drama is too vast to cover in four short sessions, this course will focus on a few selected scenes that best illustrate his poetic genius and develop the main characters through the themes of passion, pathos, power, and politics.
Dr. Gerald Weiss earned both a B.A and an M.A. in Classical Languages from St. Louis University. He pursued graduate studies in Philosophy and Theology at Innsbruck University (Austria) and later at the Gregorian University (Rome, Italy) where he received his Ph.D. While writing his dissertation, he taught for a year at the Rome Center of Loyola University of Chicago. Upon returning to the United States he taught Philosophy/Theology/Religious Studies at Seton Hall, St. Louis, and various other universities. He has had one book published and written numerous articles for educational, religious, and spiritual periodicals and journals. Since retiring he has devoted most of his free time to painting and has exhibited some of his works at the Wilton Library.
The Wilton Library is located at 137 Old Ridgefield Road in Wilton, Conn. For more information, visit wiltonlibrary.org.