Lessing's Laokoon: Edited, With English Notes (Classic Reprint) - Hardcover

A. Hamann

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0266289975 ISBN 13: 9780266289975

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

Synopsis

A clear, accessible look at why painting and poetry work differently—and how each aims to delight. This edition presents Lessing's Laokoon with English notes and a guided introduction by A. Hamann.

This scholarly edition surveys the foundational questions of art theory. It explains how poetry and painting use different means to move and please, and why each must stay within its own limits to reach its best effect. The introduction outlines Lessing’s key claims and shows how his ideas shaped later criticism.

• Learn Lessing’s argument that description and movement belong to distinct arts, and why action often outshines stationary detail
• See how the author uses examples from Homer and other ancient writers to illustrate his ideas
• Discover how allegory and the pursuit of beauty are treated in the context of painting and poetry
• Understand the historical debate about the relation between visual and verbal art

Ideal for readers new to Lessing as well as students of art history, literary criticism, and philosophy of art.

Edition details

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0266289975
• ISBN 13: 9780266289975
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 349