Michael, Wolfgang F. (Wolfgang Friedrich), 1909-2016-06-072018-01-222016-06-072018-01-221972http://hdl.handle.net/2152/37943"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.electronicenCopyright © is held by the author. Presentation of this material on the Libraries' web site by University Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin was made possible under a limited license grant from the author who has retained all copyrights in the works.lessingLessing, Gotthold Ephraim, 1729-1781--Criticism and interpretationLessing, Gotthold Ephraim, 1729-1781--Dramatic worksGerman literature--History and criticism--Theory, etc.ThesisOpen