Faustian fiction—that is, stories of human characters who negotiate with devils to acquire power and knowledge—have been retold and reshaped throughout the centuries. They are based on an historical sixteenth-century magician, Dr Johann Faustus, who was suspected of consorting with the devil; accordingly, the fiction traces the character of Doctor Faustus/Faust (or a Faust-like character) interacting with a demon character, traditionally named Mephistopheles. Christopher Marlowe’s Tragicall Historie of Doctor Faustus (c. 1592) and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust (Part I, 1808; Part II, 1838) are two foundational versions of Faustian tales that are celebrated in the Western literary canon. Despite their thematic similarities, such as unmoderated desire, the limitations of human knowing and the betrayal of natural order, the two stories significantly diverge: Marlowe’s tale ends with Faust’s eternal damnation, while Goethe’s tale ends with his redemption. Within the sphere of contemporary horror fiction, Clive Barker admits that his long career of writing horror literature remains indebted to these Faustian texts, specifically, Marlowe’s bleaker Doctor Faustus (Barker, Damnation, xiii). The influence is evidenced throughout Barker’s corpus: from his first theatre productions in 1970s London to his 2015 novel The Scarlet Gospels. As a horror writer, Barker preserves the Faustian tradition in his stories but imaginatively develops the darker elements.

Over the decades, Barker’s approach to Faustian fiction aligns with a particular philosophy of storytelling.