Georg Buchner

Question 1

When was Buchner born?

Answer 1

1813 in Germany

Question 2

What was happening at the time of Buchner’s birth?

Answer 2

He was born during a time of much political and social unrest in Europe.
Post- French Revolution and after the Napoleonic wars- 2 million lives had been lost by the end of 1815

Question 3

What were Buchner’s interests?

Answer 3

He studied medicine at the universities of Strasbourg and Giessan.
In 1831 at age 18, he became immersed in French Literature and political though influenced by Utopian communist theories.

Question 4

What was the illegal pamphlet he published?

Answer 4

In July 1834, along with the help of his fellow friend and theologian Friedrich Ludwig, he published an illegal leaflet called “The Hessian Courier” which highlighted social injustice in Germany and called for economic and political revolution.

Question 5

What happened as a result of the publication?

Answer 5

They were charged with treason and a warrant was issued or their arrest, however Buchner fled. He completed his medical dissertation and became a lecturer.

Question 6

When and how did Buchner die?

Answer 6

at age 23 of Typhoid

Question 7

What were Buchner’s ideals?

Answer 7

• Buchner hoped for political change
• he wrote ‘Woyzeck’ with a social and political message in mind.
• He had a social conscience, disliking what he saw as social injustice.
• Buchner saw the poor as the purest class because they were not corrupted by pretensions
• He was critical of the way that the hierarchical system meant people were trapped in positions that they could not free themselves from.
• The modern play embodies the idea that our lives are determined by our environment and our social circumstances, ‘Woyzeck’ exemplifies this.