Gotth. Ephr. Lessing Lessing Books

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing was a pivotal figure of the German Enlightenment, celebrated as a playwright, philosopher, and critic whose work profoundly shaped German literature. His theoretical writings and plays are distinguished by a witty, ironic style and sharp polemics, reflecting his view of truth as an ongoing process of discovery rather than a fixed entity. Lessing championed the development of a new German bourgeois theatre, challenging the imitation of French models and advocating for a return to Aristotelian principles and a serious engagement with Shakespeare. His theoretical contributions set new standards for aesthetic and literary discourse, and his dramatic works became prototypes for later German bourgeois drama and dramas of ideas.