The Drama of Revolt

Georg Büchner is one of the most important dramatists of the nineteenth century, both intrinsically and on account of his enormous influence on the drama of our own time. Professor Benn attempts a comprehensive study of the art and thought of this distinguished writer, emphasising throughout that attitude of revolt which is so characteristic of Büchner. After a brief introduction in which he pinpoints the positive nature of Büchner's revolt and establishes links between his thought and that of Hölderlin and Camus, Professor Benn discusses in the first three theoretical chapters Büchner's revolutionary political principles, his sceptical and iconoclastic philosophical speculations and his fierce attacks on classical theories in art. He then examines each of Büchner's major works - Dantons Tod, Leonce und Lena, Lenz and Woyzeck - analysing the genesis and interpretation of the last in detail. A short concluding chapter summarises the results of the inquiry and assesses the value of the methods used.