Georg Kaiser, Gas

Christina Weiler (Purdue University)

Ed. by Jennifer Marston William, Purdue University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.4.1: German-language Writing and Culture: Germany, 500-present.
Vol. editors: Gerhard P. Knapp (University of Utah), Jennifer Marston William (Purdue University), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jill E. Twark (East Carolina University)

Dates

First circulation or publication Nov 1918

Places

Germany (Publication/ performance; Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Play

Resources

Georg Kaiser’s (1878-1945) Gas is one of the most famous plays of German Expressionism. It was written in 1917/18, and its debut performances took place in Frankfurt and Düsseldorf on 28 November 1918. The play was directly influenced by World War I (1914-1918), but many of the problems it addresses are still pressing issues today. Gas explores the tensions between the individual and technology in an industrialized and increasingly militarized society: it reveals the dangers of technological dependency and is a warning against the naïve belief in progress through growing mechanization. It shows the dehumanizing effects of monotonous factory work, and it exposes the ignorance and self-destructive nature of the masses …

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1449 words

Citation: Weiler, Christina. "Gas". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 June 2014 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35215, accessed 24 November 2024.]

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