Das Theater des Herrn Diderot

Lessing’s translation of Diderots plays and theoretical texts, published as “Das Theater des Herrn Diderot” (The Theatre of Mr Diderot) is a decisive contribution to the development of the ‘domestic tragedy’ in Germany. Diderot’s “The Natural Son” and “The Housefather” are considered representative models of the “tragédie domestique”, which Diderot reflects theoretically in his essays accompanying the two plays. This critical edition presents the French originals from 1757/58 and the German translation from 1760 for the first time in a synoptical parallel arrangement, thus facilitating the appraisal of Lessing’s translatorial achievement and of the specificities of his translation. The edition also documents the critical reception of Lessing’s translation by German literary critique. The commentary offers a comparison of the French and German versions, a commentary on the text and an overview of the history of the production. Eventually it retraces the impact of the French original as well as that of Lessing’s German version of Diderot’s plays.