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GEORG BÜCHNER Julian Bilton Lecturer in Drama University Ofeastanglia

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GEORG BÜCHNER Julian Bilton Lecturer in Drama University Ofeastanglia MACMILLAN MODERN DRAMATISTS Macmillan Modern Dramatists Series Editors: Bruce King and Adele King Published titles Neil Carson. Arthur Miller Ruby Cohn. New American Dramatists, 1960-1980 Bernard F. Dukore. Harold Pinter Julian Hilton. Georg Buchner Leonard C. Pronko. Eugene Labiche and Georges Feydeau Theodore Shank. American Alternative Theatre Further titles in preparation MACMILLAN MODERN DRAMATISTS GEORG BÜCHNER Julian Bilton Lecturer in Drama University ofEastAnglia M ©Julian Hilton 1982 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without permission. First published 1982 by THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD London and Basingstoke Companies and representatives throughout the world ISBN 978-0-333-29110-8 ISBN 978-1-349-16737-1 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-16737-1 The paperback edition of this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form of binding other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Con'tenu Acknowledgements vii Editor's Preface ix 1 A brief life: 1813-37 1 2 A man out of his time 20 3 A tradition of dissent 34 4 Danton's Death 58 5 Leonce and Lena 88 6 Woyzeck 113 7 A man of our time 138 References 152 Select Bibliography 159 Brief Chronology 162 Index 164 List of Plates 1a. Georg Buchner, penned sketch by Alexis Muston, from Fischer, Georg Buchner Untersuchungen und Margin­ alien (Bonn: Bouvier Verlag Herbert Grundmann, 1972): by kind permission Professor Fischer 1b. Georg Buchner, an engraving by Auerbach, original by Adolf Hoffmann 2a. Albert Steinriick as Woyzeck in the premiere of Woyzeck at the Residenztheater, Munich, 8 November 1913 directed by Eugen Kilian. Theater Museum Munich 2b. Bruno Decarli as Robespierre in Danton's Death, Grosses Schauspielhaus Berlin, 1916, directed by Max Reinhardt. Theater Museum Munich 3. The guillotine scene from Danton's Death, Darmstadt 1957, directed by G. R. Sellner, designed by Franz Mertz. 4. Max Noack as Robespierre (I.), Fred Tanner (c.) as Danton, and A. M. Rueffer as St Just (r.) in Danton's Death,Darmstadt 1957. Photograph: Pit Ludwig vi 5. Claus Eberth (c.) as Danton in Danton's Death, Kammerspiele Munich 1980, directed by Dieter Dorn. The waxwork group (I.) represents Danton, La Marseil­ laise and Robespierre. Photograph: Rabanus 6. Albrecht Peter as Wozzeck and Elisabeth Lindermeier as Marie in Wozzeck, the opera by Alban Berg, Prinz­ regententheater Munich 1957, conducted by Ferenc Fricsay, directed by Rudolf Hartmann, designed by Helmut Jurgens. Photograph: Sabine Toepffer 7. Diego Leon as President, Wolfram Mehring as Leonce and Grillon as Valerio in Leonce and Lena, directed by Wolfram Mehring, Theatre Franco-Allemand, Paris 1959. Photograph: Etienne Weill 8. The Gate Theatre production of Leonce and Lena, London 1980, directed by Nick Hamm vii .A.c1m.owledgemen'ts It gives me great pleasure to thank all those who have helped me write this book: to Oberburgermeister Anno Vey and Schiedsmann Willi Laufersweiler for the generous provision of office accommodation in the Old Town Hall, Ingelheim and to the archivist Herr Gaul for his help; to my mother-in-law, Elsbeth Boenisch, for keeping house; to my wife, Hanne, for teaching me German and listening to all the drafts; to my colleagues Tony Gash, Nicholas Brooke and, especially, Tony Frost for countless ideas and sugges­ tions; to Nick Hamm for working on Leonce and Lena; to the University of East Anglia for granting me study leave; to the General Editor, Bruce King, for invaluable editorial advice. To one man, however, my thanks go in particular, Dr Anton Buchner: in providing me with his own archive material, his writings about Georg and the whole Buchner family and with a great deal of his time in seeing through the drafts and the translations. His contribution both to the text of this book and to its background is incalculable. If I have succeeded in conveying the spirit of his great-uncle Georg it is largely his doing. viii IngelheimlRhein. Rate on TraD8laUoDS All the translations in this book, with the exception of passages from Aristotle's Poetics, are my own. I have used the Everyman edition of the Poetics, to which the reader is referred. Quotations from Buchner are from Georg Buchner siimtliche Werke und Briefe (Historisch-kritische Ausgabe mit Kommentar), 4 vols, edited by Werner R. Lehmann (Christian Wegner Verlag: Hamburg, 1967). ix Bdi'tors' Preface The Macmillan Modern Dramatists is an international series of introductions to major and significant nineteenth and twentieth century dramatists, movements and new forms of drama in Europe, Great Britain, America and new nations such as Nigeria and Trinidad. Besides new studies of great and influential dramatists of the past, the series includes volumes on contemporary authors, recent trends in the theatre and on many dramatists, such as writers of farce, who have created theatre 'classics' while being neglected by literary criticism. The volumes in the series devoted to individual dramatists include a biography, a survey of the plays, and detailed analysis of the most signifi­ cant plays, along with discussion, where relevant, of the political, social, historical and theatrical context. The authors of the volumes, who are involved with theatre as playwrights, directors, actors, teachers and critics, are con­ cerned with the plays as theatre and discuss such matters as performance, character interpretation and staging, along with themes and contexts. x Editor's Preface Macmillan Modern Dramatists are written for people interested in modern theatre who prefer concise, intelligent studies of drama and dramatists, without jargon and an excess of footnotes. BRUCE KING ADELE KING xi .
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