The volume is based on an eponymous conference by the Lessing Academy in Wolfenbuttel, September 2004. Praise for Lessing's character has been one of the central elements in the reception accorded to him since Goethe's day. This is offset by a substantial series of accusations (justified or not) leveled at this central figure of German Enlightenment both by his immediate family circle and by representatives of contemporary public life. The articles in this volume undertake an initial attempt to make the concept of 'scandal' fruitful for Lessing's biography, for studies of his character,...