Georg Büchner's Woyzeck: An Individual's Struggle Between Society and Religion

• Other Authors: Fulkerson, Holly (authoraut)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; English
• Published: Florida State University
• Subjects: German language; German literature
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-4382

German dramatist Geog Büchner is considered one of the most influential writers during the revolutionary Vormärz period in the nineteenth century. Büchner is considered a leading figure in modern theater in Germany, having inspired Realism and Naturalism in Germany, but he is also considered to be a revolutionary, as he challenged society with realistic views on morality social inequalities and the paradoxes of human-nature, and rebelled against the idealistic philosophies established in the Enlightenment. Büchner was a passionate writer who fought for the poor, and with his progressive works he anticipated a restitution of human rights. One of the most perplexing aspects of Büchner's work is the seeming contrast between the tortured, often immoral and insane characters and the obvious sympathy of the author for his characters. In his fragment Woyzeck one finds the crossroads of morality and violence, of desperation and sympathy. His characters are a very real demonstration of the inner sufferings of humanity, although Büchner does little to provide a solution to them. The purpose of this paper is to investigate and understand Büchner's motives for the play. To do so one must research his historical background as well as the author's own aesthetic, political, religious and social views. Since Büchner died before his drama Woyzeck was finished, it has remained a fragment. This paper also considers two versions of this fragment; the first version in discussion is reconstructed by Werner R. Lehmann, and the second by Fritz Bergemann. In the conclusion only one version will be chosen as the best resolution to the work. === A Thesis submitted to the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. === Fall Semester, 2007. === November 9, 2007. === Georg Buechner, Woyzeck, Religionsunterricht, Nature, Enlightenment, Bergemann, Lehmann Vanity, Ideals, Morality, Suffering, Rousseau, desperation, sympathey, poverty, humanity, Romanticism === Includes bibliographical references. === Winnifred Adolph, Professor Directing Thesis; Birgit Maier-Katkin, Committee Member; Christine Lehleiter, Committee Member.