Plot Summary

Woyzeck

Georg Büchner
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Woyzeck

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1837

Book Brief

Georg Büchner

Woyzeck

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1837
Book Details
Pages

64

Format

Play • Fiction

Setting

Germany • 1830s

Publication Year

1837

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

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Super Short Summary

Woyzeck, by Georg Büchner, follows Franz Woyzeck, a poor soldier who, to support his partner Marie and their child, takes on extra tasks for his superior and participates in harmful medical experiments. As Franz's mental state deteriorates due to malnutrition and exploitation, jealousy over Marie's infidelity drives him to a tragic act, reflecting themes of dehumanization, class struggle, and poverty. Some themes and scenes may include graphic content and violence.

Dark

Unnerving

Melancholic

Mysterious

Gritty

Reviews & Readership

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Review Roundup

Georg Büchner's Woyzeck is lauded for its groundbreaking exploration of social oppression and mental illness, earning praise for its raw, fragmented structure that mirrors the protagonist's turmoil. Critics appreciate its emotional depth and historical significance, though some find its abrupt, unfinished ending unsatisfactory.

Who should read this

Who Should Read Woyzeck?

Readers who appreciate intense, psychologically driven narratives and socially critical themes would enjoy Georg Büchner’s Woyzeck. Fans of Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground or Kafka’s The Metamorphosis will find similar existential and realist elements. Its fragmented, haunting nature appeals to those interested in anti-heroic characters and early modernist literature.

Book Details
Pages

64

Format

Play • Fiction

Setting

Germany • 1830s

Publication Year

1837

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

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