Biography Essay

Although his work is profoundly rooted in the crises, conflicts, and ideals of his time, Georg Buchner's writings have far transcended the intellectual and historical framework of his turbulent age. Buchner, who died at twenty-three, was one of the most significant literary figures in the dark epoch between the Restoration and the Revolution of 1848. His work thus exhibits the deep existential melancholy and Weltschmerz that Friedrich Sengle suggests is an integral characteristic of this age of German realism. On the other hand, Buchner's writings reveal an exalted philosophical vision of human dignity and freedom. His depictions of monumental collisions between Freiheitsideale (ideals of freedom) and historical circumstance disclose his deep, often tormented concern for the fate of humanity. They also manifest his intense involvement with the meaning of history. Buchner's writings contain, moreover, highly perceptive critiques of the sociopolitical realities of his time. These critiques anticipate...