Lenz by georg buchner essay

The following entry presents criticism of Büchner from 1964 through 2001. For additional information on Büchner's life and career, see NCLC, Volume 26.

Woyzeck, despite its unfinished state, has generally been regarded as Büchner’s masterpiece. Together with the somewhat more thematically transparent Danton’s Death, this play is thought to evince Büchner’s unique philosophical outlook, since recognized as a forerunner to twentieth-century Existentialism and the Theatre of the Absurd.

To achieve realism in the story, Büchner employs a complex technique of shifting viewpoints to render each subtle nuance of Lenz's situation.

The eldest of six children, Büchner was born in Goddelau, Germany. His family moved in 1816 to nearby Darmstadt, the capital of the duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt. During Büchner’s school years his father, a physician, encouraged him to study the sciences, while his mother nurtured in him a love of literature and art.