Lessing and the Consequences

The history of modern German drama begins with Lessing. However, he is regarded as an author who stands at a threshold, paving the way for Weimar Classicism without walking it himself. Lessing is the ‘pre-classicist’ of German literature, praised and appropriated as a fighter for the nation and the bourgeoisie, for truth and tolerance. Robert Vellusig traces Lessing’s influence on German culture a...