Georg Büchner, Lenz

Gerhard P. Knapp (University of Utah)
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“Lenz” is Büchner's only narrative text. Written in 1835, it was left unfinished in draft form, though perhaps relatively near completion. There has been speculation that “Lenz” (the title was supplied by later editors) was to be part of a planned novel or that Büchner conceived it as a novella. Neither seems convincing. As it stands, the text is a biographical narrative about the

Sturm und Drang

author Jakob Michael Reinhold Lenz (1751-1792) and his stay of nineteen days (20 January until 8 February 1778) in the Ban de la Roche in the Vosges with the Pietist pastor and philanthropist Johann Friedrich Oberlin (1740-1826). The beginning and the end of the narrative are set by the historical Lenz' arrival and departure, whereas some parts are fragmentary. Regardless of the text's…

2067 words

Citation: Knapp, Gerhard P.. "Lenz". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 March 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=10378, accessed 19 March 2024.]

10378 Lenz 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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