Georg Büchner: An Overlooked Author at the Crossroads of German Literature

Georg Büchner (1813-1837) represents an overlooked writer of the German Romantic movement who later influenced the Expressionist movement. Most academic work done when studying Büchner centers on Dantons Tod and Woyzeck. His other work, Leonce und Lena and Lenz, however, represents one of the most important comedies in the German language and, as Arnold Zweig would later describe Lenz, the beginning of modern prose in Europe. Why then are these works overshadowed and how do we approach them? Büchner's writing is volatile and patriotic while at the same time it is self-reflective and critical of his own country. If Lenz is a personal piece, exploring Büchner's personal opinions on Religion and philosophy, Leonce und Lena is a direct critique of the society around him. He was well ahead of his time and eagerly read by those who came after his rediscovery in 1870. Tracing Büchner's influences and those influenced by him places him and his work at a crossroads in German philosophical and literary thought.