Lessing and the German enlightenment

Author(s)

• Robertson, Ritchie

Bibliographic Information

Lessing and the German enlightenment

edited by Ritchie Robertson

（SVEC, 2013:09）

Voltaire Foundation, c2013

Note

Bibliography: p. 301-322

Includes index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

Primarily celebrated for his dramatic works Minna von Barnhelm, Emilia Galotti and Nathan der Weise, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing's diverse pursuits extended far beyond the stage. From incisive journalism to innovative reflections on poetry, aesthetics and theology, his wide-ranging intellectual interests place him firmly alongside contemporary polymaths such as Diderot. In this extensive study an international team of experts explores Lessing's contribution to both the German and broader European Enlightenments to reveal: the energy and acuity of his critical writing, which made him an exemplar for subsequent German authors; the originality and lasting significance of Laocoon, his groundbreaking treatise on aesthetics, which distinguished the domains of poetry and the visual arts, and is still a major point of reference; how his reflections on theology and the Bible helped shape a view of Christianity as a historical phenomenon without absolute truth; how his Enlightenment curiosity and open-mindedness were nourished by an interest in natural science, particularly astronomy; how activities such as his adaptation of English domestic tragedy and his translations of Diderot's theatrical writings placed him at the heart of the pan- European Enlightenment.

Table of Contents

Ritchie Robertson, Preface Note on references H. B. Nisbet, Lessing's achievement Romira Worvill, Lessing and the French Enlightenment Alexander Kosenina and Ritchie Robertson, Lessing as journalist and controversialist Richard E. Schade, Lessing's poetry John T. Hamilton, Reception, gratitude and obligation: Lessing and the classical tradition Jason Gaiger, The contemporaneity of Lessing's aesthetics Thomas Martinec, Lessing's dramatic theory Francis Lamport, 'Solcher Vater giebt es keinen mehr': paternal authority in Lessing's tragedies K. F. Hilliard, Lessing's comedies Jonathan M. Hess, Lessing and German-Jewish culture: a reappraisal Adam Sutcliffe, Lessing and toleration David Hill, Enlightenment as a historical process: Ernst und Falk and Die Erziehung des Menschengeschlechts Christoph Bultmann, Lessing and the Bible Karl S. Guthke, Lessing and science A chronology of the life and major works of Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Summaries List of contributors Bibliography Index

by "Nielsen BookData"

Details

• NCID: BB13451954
• ISBN:
  • 9780729410755
• Country Code: uk
• Title Language Code: eng
• Text Language Code: engfreger
• Place of Publication: Oxford
• Pages/Volumes: xvii, 329 p.
• Size: 24 cm
• Subject Headings:
  • LCSH : Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim, 1729-1781
• Parent Bibliography ID:
  • BA46635977