Publisher's Synopsis
""Laokoon and How the Ancients Represented Death"" is a literary work by German writer and philosopher Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. The book explores the concept of art and its representation of death, examining the ancient Greek sculpture of Laokoon and his sons being attacked by serpents. Lessing argues that art should strive for realism and avoid the fantastical, as it is through the representation of the human form that art can truly convey emotion and meaning. He also explores the role of tragedy in art, arguing that it is through the portrayal of suffering and death that art can achieve its highest purpose. The book is considered a seminal work in the field of aesthetics and has had a significant influence on subsequent philosophical and artistic movements.1914. This volume contains two works by the critical genius Lessing. His writing is peerless in its comprehensiveness, its keenness and depth; but this was particularly true of the drama. Laokoon deals with the limits of poetry and painting and it may be said that the great era of German literature commenced with these works. Laokoon, in its style, in its subtlety and clearness, in its breadth of intellectual vision, was a treatise that the likes of which had never been seen before.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.
