The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim

LESSING, Gotthold Ephraim, German dramatist and critic: b. Kamenz, Upper Lusatia, Saxony, 22 Jan. 1729; d. Brunswick, 15 Feb. 1781. In 1741 he was sent to the School of Saint Afra at Meissen. He was a diligent student, who, according to his tutor, was a horse that needed double fodder. He went to Leipzig ostensibly for a theological training; but he gave his chief attention to general literature, and contributed some interesting articles to literary journals. His academic studies having been concluded at Wittenberg, he went to Berlin, where he was active as journalist and critic, was employed by Voltaire, but soon quarreled with him, and whither he returned (1758) after a two-years' sojourn at Leipzig. He brought out ‘Vademecum für Herrn Samuel Gothhold Lange,’ in 1754, a criticism of a translation of Horace by Lange which had appeared some time before. The year following saw the issuing of a six-volume edition of his critical and dramatic works, including the first bourgeois trauerspiel in German, ‘Miss Sara Sampson.’ On his return in 1758 to the capital he instituted the famous series of ‘Letters,’ which were continued in 24 volumes down to 1765. In 1760 he became secretary to General von Tauentzien, governor of Breslau; and in that post continued for more than four years. His independence and fine sincerity led him to reject several opportunities of material advancement; as when he refused the chair of eloquence at Königsberg, because the tenure of it involved an annual eulogy of the king. In 1767 he became critic and director of the theatre at Hamburg which an association of wealthy merchants purposed establishing for the promotion of the national drama. The scheme shortly failed, and from 1770 until his death Lessing was librarian to the Duke of Brunswick at Wolfenbüttel, where he was valued only for the prestige he lent the little state. Lessing was the one who reformed German literature and set it on the way of national growth and progress. He became the foremost German writer of his time, and one of the more remarkable writers of all time, through his ‘Minna von Barnhelm’ (1767), the first national drama of Germany, and ‘Laokoön’ (1766), the best work of German criticism. ‘Minna von Barnhelm’ was an artistic presentation of contemporaneous life, and liberated the German drama from the slavish imitation of the French so exclusively preached by Gottsched. In it Lessing wished to rebuke not only the disposition toward aping the French, but also the indifference of the rulers to the soldiers that had won the Seven Years' War; and to eliminate the provincial hate which then so often existed in Germany, especially that between Prussia and Saxony. In ‘Laokoön’ Lessing appears as one of the greatest of critics. His eagerness for truth is remarkable; his revelation of hypocrisies and falsehoods, fearless. His chief argument is that for the establishment of a clear distinction between the plastic arts and poetry, the basic difference being determined to be that while art presents objects in space, poetry presents actions in time. Not all its contentions may be admitted; but Herder, who published a criticism in disagreement with many of its points, yet read it through three times in an afternoon and following evening, and praised it in high terms. Macaulay said it made him wonder and despair; and Goethe, who was greatly indebted to its teachings, declared that by it “all previous criticism was thrown away like an outworn coat.” Early in 1757 appeared the first of the 22 dramatic criticisms called the ‘Hamburgische Dramaturgie,’ which made way for the new national drama free of all French influence. His ‘Nathan der Weise’ (1778; in a good English rendering by E. Frothingham 1868) is the most celebrated of his dramas, and indeed perhaps the most generally familiar of all his writings. It was his ultimate answer to the theological controversialists who had begun their attacks with the publication by Lessing of an edition of portions of a manuscript work, obtained by him while in the ducal library, on the origins of Christianity and written by one Samuel Reimarus. To these ‘Wolfenbüttler Fragmente’ (1774-78) Pastor Goeze of Hamburg made the chief objection, and to Goeze Lessing gave his most elaborate rejoinders, such as ‘Eine Parabel,’ ‘Axiomata’ and ‘Anti-Goeze.’ He does not defend Reimarus, but he does defend free inquiry, and opens up the field for later Biblical criticism and the study of the growth of Christian institutions. Lessing having been directed by the Brunswick government to discontinue the controversy, made a poetic statement of his views in ‘Nathan der Weise,’ a remarkable plea for religious tolerance, and a declaration that true religion is one of character, not formula. The work has been criticised from the strictly dramatic viewpoint, but as a dramatic poem has been called one of the finest works of the 18th century. Others of Lessing's works are ‘Emilia Galotti’ (1772), a skilful tragedy; ‘Briefe die Neueste Literatur Betreffend’ (1758), with Nicolai, which first directed German thought to the study of Shakespeare, and ‘Ueber das Wesen der Fabel’ (1760). He married Eva König in 1776. She and their son died two years later and the author's last days were passed in sad contrast to his former gay and pleasant life. The only work of this period is ‘Die Erziehung des Menschengeschlechts,’ an exposition of his religious doctrine. “Lessing,” said Goethe, “wished to disclaim for himself the title of poet, but his immortal works testify against himself.” His battle against error in all domains had notable effect in Germany, and has not yet failed of an even wider stimulative interest. There are very many collected editions of Lessing's works but the best is probably that begun by Lachmann in 1838 (3d ed., by Muncker, 22 vols., Stuttgart and Leipzig 1886-1910). Good translations are Bell's ‘Dramatic Works of Lessing’ (2 vols., 1878) and Beasley and Zimmern's ‘Laokoön, Dramatic Notes, and the Representation of Death by the Ancients’ (1879).

Bibliography.— Blümner, H., ‘Lessings Laokoön’ (Berlin 1879); Braun, T. W., ‘Lessing in Urteile seiner Zeitgenossen’ (ib. 1884-97); Consentius, Ernst, ‘Lessing und die Vossische Zeitung’ (Leipzig 1900) ; Düntzer, J. H. J., ‘Lessings Leben’ (ib. 1882); id., ‘Erläuterungen zu Lessings Werken’ (ib. 1882); Danzel and Guhrauer, ‘Lessing, sein Leben und seine Werke’ (ib. 1850-54; 2d ed., 1880); Fisher, E. K. B., ‘G. E. Lessing, als Reformator der deutschen Literatur’ (Stuttgart 1881); Goedeke, Karl, ‘Grundriss zur Geschichte der deutschen Dichtung’ (3d ed., Dresden 1913); Meyer, R. M., ‘G. E. Lessing’ (Leipzig 1908); Pabst, C. R., ‘Vorlesungen über Nathan der Weise’ (Berlin 1881); Rolleston, T. W., ‘Life of G. E. Lessing’ (London 1889); Sime, James, ‘Life of Lessing’ (New York 1877); Schmidt, Erich, ‘Lessing Geschichte seines Lebens und seiner Schriften’ (3d ed., 2 vols., Berlin 1910). See German Literature; Minna von Barnhelm; Laokoon; Nathan the Wise.