SOURCE: Schmidt, Henry J. “Georg Büchner's Satiric Tendencies.” Satire, Caricature and Perspectivism in the Works of Georg Büchner, pp. 104-14. The Hague, Netherlands: Mouton, 1970, 119 p.

In the following essay, Schmidt assesses the satirical and ironic nature of Büchner's literary temperament.

Ever since literary critics have been writing about Büchner, they have encountered unusual difficulty and frustration in defining his unique philosophy, aesthetics, and dramatic style. Definitions and labels proffered by one critic are quickly demolished by the next, who in re-examining the material, determines that designations such as “nihilist”, “atheist”, “revolutionary”, or “realist” are not the last word and are too limited in scope to aid in grasping the thought and writings of Georg Büchner. A case in point: the two articles on Büchner in Benno von Wiese's Das deutsche Drama¹ are both specifically directed against a nihilistic interpretation of Dantons Tod...