Laokoon: Lessing, Herder, Goethe (1910)

Laokoon: Lessing, Herder, Goethe is a book written by William Guild Howard and published in 1910. The book explores the literary and artistic theories of three prominent German writers - Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Johann Gottfried Herder, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - and their ideas on the relationship between poetry and the visual arts.The title of the book refers to the ancient Greek myth of Laokoon, a Trojan priest who was killed by sea serpents along with his two sons. The myth has been a subject of numerous artistic representations, and Lessing's essay on the subject is considered a seminal work in the field of aesthetics.The book delves into the philosophical and aesthetic ideas of the three writers, who were influential figures in the German Enlightenment. Lessing's ideas on the limits of painting and poetry, Herder's emphasis on the importance of national identity in art, and Goethe's theories on the unity of nature and art are all explored in depth.Howard's book also provides historical context for the ideas of these writers, discussing the cultural and political climate in which they lived and worked. The book is considered a classic work in the field of German literary and aesthetic theory, and is still widely read and studied today.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.