Minna von Barnhelm
by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing · Minna von Barnhelm, oder das Soldatenglück
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1767
- Form
- Comedy
- Language
- German
- Length
- Short · 100 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Moderate2 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendNathan the Wise, Minna von Barnhelm, and Other Plays and Writings, translated by Kenneth J. NorthcottContinuum, 1991The German Library volume, edited by Peter Demetz, is the most available modern translation.
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The first major German comedy, set in a Berlin inn just after the Seven Years' War. Major von Tellheim, discharged and under suspicion of dishonesty, has broken off his engagement to the Saxon heiress Minna because he will not bring her a ruined name. Minna arrives in search of him, and when arguments fail, tricks him by pretending she too has been disinherited, so that his honour now obliges him to marry her. A letter from the king clears him, and Minna teases him a while longer before the happy ending.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Minna von Barnhelm are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
