Germanic Studies

"Gotthold Ephraim Lessing was one of the leading literary figures in eighteenth century German literature. As a theorist, he was instrumental in reducing French influence in German drama and in freeing German literature from the chains of traditionalism. As a dramatist, he laid the foundation of modern German drama. The purpose of this paper is to examine Lessing's literary theories as stated in such essays as Literaturbriefe, Laokoon, and Hamburgische Dramaturgie, then, by examining several of his dramatic works, to determine the extent to which Lessing carried out his own theories in those works"--Preface.