Here's the next chapter pic in the series:
The analogy of this chapter name is obvious. Now, I’m not an expert on the play, and I somehow managed to escape discussing it in school, but even I have heard of a “Faustian bargain”. There are some nice websites that provide a good overview of the play Faust, by Goethe, including this essay and this other essay from Awerty.com. A more detailed review can be found here and here, and there is an interesting set of course notes from a science class. Let’s hope these links last a while. The story of Faust actually predates Goethe and the play. It is basically the story of a scholar who is made an offer by the devil for knowledge in return for which he must give the devil his sole. In the play, the devil makes a bet with God that he can tempt Faust as such, but God believes that Faust will remain his loyal servant. Interesting analogy, but with a twist – Durandal, our “god”, is the one who makes the deal with Tycho, the devil, on our behalf. Hence the Tycho login symbol in the chapter screen. The outcome, however, is much the same and although we end up staying in the service of Durandal and betraying Tycho, we still continue in the wrong plank, causing countless suffering for humanity. There isn’t a lot we can do about it now, however, and so it’s off to the Okefenokee Tourist Trail.
