THE EXTENT TO WHICH GEORG BÜCHNER USES WOYZECK TO REFLECT AND CRITIQUE CONTEMPORANEOUS DEVELOPMENTS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE Public
Cox, Nathaniel (Spring 2018)
Published
Abstract
Abstract
THE EXTENT TO WHICH GEORG BÜCHNER USES WOYZECK TO REFLECT AND CRITIQUE CONTEMPORANEOUS DEVELOPMENTS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE By Nathaniel L. Cox
Although Georg Büchner originally drafted Woyzeck in 1837, its final form would not be published until 1879 by the Austrian writer Karl Emil Franzos in his heavily revised edition of the play. This is because Büchner died of Typhus the same year he wrote Woyzeck, leaving the unfinished draft as a grand mystery for theater-enthusiasts for centuries to come. The original draft of the play’s scenes was discovered after having sustained serious damage, and without having any apparent order, thus rendering the play open for speculation and interpretation from all who read it.
However, perhaps the most interesting thing about this play is the true story it’s based on. Being a physician, Büchner’s father took interest in the forensic psychiatric case of Johann Christian Woyzeck when Büchner was a young boy. Johann Woyzeck was an orphan who served as a mercenary during the Napoleonic wars, and spent the rest of his time carrying out odd jobs, thieving, and causing trouble wherever he went. He ended up murdering his mistress and being sentenced to execution, and did not receive a psychiatric evaluation from a mental health professional. Many physicians believed that he very well may have been mentally ill.
Büchner followed in his father’s footsteps as a physician and later became a playwright. Buchner’s Woyzeck is more than simply a play; it is a protest against ignorance towards mental illness. Some claim the play to be one of the first modern dramas, and it definitely stands as an early example of surrealist elements that Büchner innovated long before the official movement took place. Büchner’s Woyzeck character embodies contemporary issues faced by the German lower class, and also stimulates progressive ideas about how to move humanity forward in its pursuit of righteousness and purpose.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction – Woyzeck and the Origins of Modern Psychology . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 1-6
Chapter 2: Theater’s Relationship to Psychology and the Philosophy of the Mind . . . . pg. 7-14
Chapter 3: Woyzeck – The Man and the Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 15-22
Chapter 4: The Progression of the German Justice System and Other Societal
Considerations in the 19TH Century Regarding Woyzeck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 23-25
Chapter 5: The Life and Work of Georg Büchner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 26-28
Chapter 6: Germany in Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 29-36
Chapter 7: Conclusion – Implication and Interpretations from a Modern Perspective . . . . . . . .
pg. 37-39
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 40-43
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