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The first printed work with Faust sealing a pact with the Devil was published by Johan Spies in 1587. The roots of the Faust legend go even deeper with the figures of Simon Magus (1 AD) and Theofilus (6th AD). Following Spies’s Faustbuch, every new significant period of European culture produced its own Faust and each of them happened to reflect the turmoil of the period in an exemplary fashion.

Thus, Marlowe’s Faust appears as a tragic hero, whose ambitions of a man of Early Renaissance being ahead of his time, result in him burning in Hell. Goethe’s Faust reaffirms the nascent humanism of the German Enlightenment and is saved from the ultimate punishment served to his predecessors. Thomas Mann’s Doctor Faustus (1947) reflects the turmoil of the darkest period of modern European history during the rise of the Nazis to power prior to WW2. These are just several examples of the Fausts of European literature demonstrating incredible adaptability and malleability in terms of reflecting the main conflicts and turmoils of the respective epoch.

The contemporary Faustian hero in John Banville’s novel Mefisto

Mihails Čebotarjov’s research claims the Faust legend remains equally relevant in our times. Mihails’ thesis gives a fresh perspective on the Irish writer John Banville’s novel Mefisto (1986), arguing that it represents a distinctive late‑modern reinterpretation of the Faust legend. Unlike earlier works on Faust that focused on morality or the pursuit of ultimate knowledge, Banville’s Faustian hero faces a world where certainty is elusive and chance reigns supreme.

The study reveals that Mefisto challenges traditional storytelling by using experimental techniques - such as metafiction, unreliable narration, and complex temporal structures - to question whether humans can ever achieve definitive knowledge. Through this lens, Banville’s protagonist emerges as a parodic “Üb�������Բ�����”, beginning his quest with faith in mathematical determinism but ultimately accepting the role of chance and accepting the fate of eternal recurrence. This interpretation positions Mefisto as a quintessential late‑twentieth‑century response to the Faust myth, reflecting the sceptical and relativistic spirit of late modern thought.

Methods of analysis

To reach these conclusions, the thesis combines narratological analysis with philosophical frameworks, focusing on two dominant interpretative codes: textuality and phenomenology. It examines narrative devices such as prolepsis, analepsis, ellipses, and focalisation, alongside a rich array of intertextual references. The study also applies theories of unreliability and double coding, showing how Banville’s novel operates on multiple levels - blurring the boundaries between story and commentary, reality and imagination.

What do the new findings contribute?

The Faust legend has shaped European culture for centuries, evolving with each era’s intellectual concerns. By placing Mefisto within this tradition, the thesis not only deepens our understanding of Banville’s artistry but also illuminates broader questions about knowledge, identity, and narrative in contemporary literature. For the public, this research underscores how classic myths continue to speak to modern anxieties - about truth, uncertainty, and the limits of human ambition.

“Banville’s Mefisto reframes Faust for the twentieth century,” says Mihails Čebotarjovs. “It shows that the quest for certainty may be the greatest illusion of all.”

 

The thesis defence

, a doctoral candidate at the School of Humanities, Tallinn University, defended his doctoral thesis on 27 February 2026.

His doctoral thesis is entitled The Ambiguous Poetics of John Banville’s ‘Mefisto’ (1986) and Its Place in European Faustiana.

The thesis supervisors are and György András Schöpflin (in memoriam).

Opponents are , Professor at Dublin City University and , emeritus professor at KU Leuven.

The dissertation is available in the digital environment of Tallinn University Academic Library.