Doctor Faustus vs Faust: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Devil, Magicians, Poetry, Drama
Doctor Faustus
More
"Doctor Faustus is a classic; its imaginative boldness and vertiginous ironies have fascinated readers and playgoers alike. But the fact that this play exists in two early versions, printed in 1604 and 1616, has posed…
Faust
More
A complete annotated translation of Goethe's "Faust," plus extensive interpretive notes, "Faust" illustrations and other visual sources used by Goethe, several pieces of Goethe's correspondence and commentary, eleven…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Doctor Faustus is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 5 for Faust.
- Doctor Faustus has the widest readership — 73963 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| Doctor Faustus | Faust | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (73963) | 3.9 (53132) |
| Hardcover | 3.8 (6) | 5.0 (1) |
| Google Books | — | 2.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (14) | 4.0 (131) |
Reception
| Doctor Faustus | Faust | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 73963 | 53132 |
| Editions | 89 | 633 |
| Citations | 44 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 2285 | 85207 |
| Reading it now | — | 4751 |
| Written reviews | 122 | 3063 |
| Wikipedia attention | 293 | 49623 |
| Pages | 90 | 316 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Doctor Faustus or Faust?
Faust has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Faust 3.9/5, Doctor Faustus 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: Doctor Faustus or Faust?
Doctor Faustus is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Doctor Faustus (90 pages, ≈ 1 h 40 m); Faust (316 pages, ≈ 5 h 51 m).
Which is harder to read: Doctor Faustus or Faust?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Doctor Faustus: Demanding; Faust: Demanding.
Have both books been made into films?
Doctor Faustus: no film adaptation on record; Faust: 1 film adaptation.