Maturity and Fame

This chapter describes some important major milestones in Moses Mendelssohn's life, as framed by two of the most important relationships of his life. It first describes his engagement and subsequent marriage to his wife, Fromet Gugenheim. The chapter then turns to a man who had more of a direct influence on Mendelssohn's works in philosophy—Thomas Abbt. In many ways, his friendship with Abbt could be compared to that with Lessing's. However, as the chapter shows, Mendelssohn was able to show a different and more mature side of himself to Abbt, particularly as the latter was younger than Mendelssohn by nine years and was not quite as learned as Lessing. The chapter goes on to portray the ways in which Mendelssohn settled into the role of a guide and mentor to Abbt, and how he in turn would be challenged by Abbt's intellectual honesty.