THE ORIENT IN GERMAN ENLIGHTENMENT LITERATURE
Keywords:
German Enlightenment literature, the Orient, intercultural dialogue, religious tolerance, Enlightenment philosophy, literary receptionAbstract
This article examines the representation and interpretation of the Orient in German Enlightenment literature. Particular attention is paid to the intellectual, philosophical, and literary engagement of German Enlightenment thinkers with Eastern cultures, religions, and moral systems. Using factual literary and historical sources, the study analyzes how the Orient functioned not as an exotic background but as a conceptual space for ethical reflection, religious tolerance, and critique of European absolutism. The works of Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and other Enlightenment figures are examined to demonstrate how Eastern motifs and ideas contributed to the development of humanistic and universalist values in German Enlightenment thought.
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