Abstract
AbstractThis article returns to the figure of the mouth in Gotthold Ephraim Lessing’s Laocoön: An Essay on the Limits of Painting and Poetry. While many scholars treat Lessing’s attention to the statue’s mouth as a sign of his contempt for the body, the article argues that Lessing’s interest in orality is a test of the limits of the eighteenth century’s neoclassicism. The article concludes that Lessing is thus not a representative of conservative aesthetics but a proto-Freudian thinker who inadvertently challenged the foundations of his own aesthetic project.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
