Masse Mensch

by Toller

Das Drama "Masse" in sieben Bildern entstand 1919 während Ernst Tollers Haft im Festungsgefängnis Niederschönenfeld und reagiert auf die revolutionären Ereignisse des Jahres 1919; ausdrücklich »den Protariern« gewidmet, versteht es sich als Kampfansage gegen jede Art von Gewalt und wurde doch in Bayern »wegen Aufreizung zum Klassenhaß« verboten. Bereits der Titel - im Erstdruck fehlt der Bindestrich zwischen »Masse« und »Mensch«, wie er in den späteren Ausgaben üblich war ("Masse-Mensch") - verweist auf die Bezogenheit wie Entgegensetzung von Kollektiv und Individuum.

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Drama, Ebooks, German Literature

77 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1924

Reviews

[Francesco Iorianni · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Masse ist nicht heilig.
Gewalt schuf Masse.
Besutzunrecht schuf Masse.
Masse ist Trieb aus Not,
Ist gläubige Demut...
Ist grausame Rache...
Ist blinder Sklave...
Ist frommer Wille...
Masse ist zerstampfter Acker,
Masse ist verschüttet Volk."

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very powerful anti-war play whose themes are very relevant today, especially regarding indifference on the part of people who profit from war, the authenticity of people who "dance or play music" against war, and the battle between the individual and the masses.

This is a quick and easy read with some memorable quotes. Given what Toller saw and experienced while in prison, this is a book whose message cannot be disputed. It is a shame that it has disappeared in the mists of history. I wonder who will have to courage to resuscitate it?

[Lovely Fortune · Rating 3 out of 5]

For Babylon Berlin

I will definitely be re-reading this for my thesis I think as there are many similarities between this and my subject matter. It's not the best play ever, but the ideas and the moral dilemma of how to deal with ideological imposition are interesting. Does change come through pacifism or violence? Does change come through reconciliation and compromise, or elimination and homogeneity? These are questions people still have within activist circles, so it's interesting to see how this problem is at the center of all movements, regardless of time or place.

[Antonachtzig]

Uni-Lektüre

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rough and mysterious ride into the troublesome years following the First World War in Germany. In this context it is, that Toller shows us a struggle over life and death by dehumanized figures, fighting over the right to define what the mass is, what the individual is and how both are to be valued. It is a deeply expressionist experience, as these dehumanized figures with their fractured language and behaviour as well as the grotesque dreamlike scenes bitingly reveal the cynism of the contemporary mechanized and capitalized mindset.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Es lebe das Proletariat! Ich bin bald Spezialistin für Krawallliteratur...

[Ulrike Bungert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich würde sagen, es liegt am Expressionismus oder der Ernst Toller war auf Drogen oder beides. Sprechende Metaphern, wilde Träume und die sozialistische Message.