Lessing did not write novels. This is probably largely owing to the fact that the novel played only a marginal role in ancient literature, and none at all in ancient poetics. It is a product of literate culture. Over the course of the 18th century, it established itself in the canon of literary genres, even though literary theory still remained sceptical for a long time. Lessing had nothing to contribute to the poetics of the novel, but his writings on dramatic theory and media aesthetics have served as an inspiration for modern narrative literature. And for a good reason: They are part of a broader process of literalisation, in the course of which literature becomes aware of its own written nature and opens up new creative potentials for storytelling through writing.