Lessing English
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
1729~1781. German dramatist, poet, and critic. The major works of his are Laokoon (1766） and Nathan der Weise (1779）.
Laokoon, where Lessing argued Laokoon, a sculpture made in the Hellenistic period, caused the dispute. It is a dispute over the idea that regards visual arts such as pictures and sculptures as spatial art and literature as art of time, distinguishing them. Vernon Lee also wrote many essays on art and was interested in the problem of time and space in art, so she was familiar with the works of Lessing. She had an idea that literature and music which contains the elements of time and space is superior to sculpture and picture.
In Ottilie, Councillor Moritz, who is familiar with Italian culture, advises Christoph, who admires Italian literature, to read Laokoon. Christoph is impressed by Laokoon and read the books of Winckelmann.
In Juvenilia, Lee called Lessing "the most realistic playwright and dramatic critic of his day."
