Abstract

This dissertation explores the notion of truth in literature on the basis of three philosophical theories of truth that are particularly applicable to literature: the correspondence theory of truth, the coherence theory of truth, and the consensus theory of truth. ;Early 18th-century literary theory presents a wide spectrum of concepts regarding truth in literature. These concepts typically incorporate one or more of the aforementioned philosophical theories of truth. The literary theories of Johann Christoph Gottsched, Johann Jacob Breitinger, and the Third Earl of Shaftesbury are shown to be paradigmatic for the literary theories of the time. Detailed analysis shows how these literary theories are effected by different philosophical theories of truth. ;Gotthold Ephraim Lessing's critical works from the Abhandlungen uber die Fabel to his Laokoon and the Hamburgische Dramaturgie show an increasing complexity in the design of truth in literature. The early work on the short genre of the fable bases truth simply on the visual aspects of human perception in the tradition of the correspondence theory. The plot of the fable corresponds directly to human experience. The narrative genre differs from the fable and the dramatic genre in its epistemological foundation. Coherence, i.e. logical connectedness between the various parts of the literary work, becomes an important aspect of truth as it facilitates the comprehension of the longer narrative work. Lessing's analysis of the dramatic genre in the Hamburgische Dramaturgie finally pulls together all the aspects relevant to a theory of truth in literature. Lessing combines elements of a correspondence and coherence theory of truth as they relate to the author, his work, the actors, and the audience. Although part of the Aristotelian tradition, it is the complexity of Lessing's thought that establishes a new foundation for the discussion of truth in literature