Johann Heinrich Joseph Düntzer
Encyclopedia
Johann Heinrich Joseph Düntzer (July 12, 1813 - December 16, 1901), German
philologist and historian of literature, was born at Cologne
.
After studying philology and especially ancient classics and Sanskrit
at Bonn
and Berlin (1830–1835), he took the degree of doctor of philosophy and established himself in 1837 at Bonn as Privatdozent for classical literature. He had already, in his Goethes Faust in seiner Einheit und Ganzheit (1836) and Goethe als Dramatiker (1837), advocated a new critical method in interpreting the German classics, which he wished to see treated like the ancient classics.
He subsequently turned his attention almost exclusively to the poets of the German classical period, notably Goethe
and Schiller
. Düntzer's method met with much opposition and he consequently failed to obtain the professorship he coveted. In 1846 he accepted the post of librarian at the Roman Catholic gymnasium in Cologne, where he died. Düntzer was a painstaking and accurate critic
, but lacking in inspiration and finer literary taste; consequently his work as a biographer and commentator has, to a great extent, been superseded and discredited.
Among his philological writings may be mentioned:
Of his works on the German classical poets, especially Goethe, Schiller and Herder, the following are particularly worthy of note:
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
philologist and historian of literature, was born at Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
.
After studying philology and especially ancient classics and Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
at Bonn
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
and Berlin (1830–1835), he took the degree of doctor of philosophy and established himself in 1837 at Bonn as Privatdozent for classical literature. He had already, in his Goethes Faust in seiner Einheit und Ganzheit (1836) and Goethe als Dramatiker (1837), advocated a new critical method in interpreting the German classics, which he wished to see treated like the ancient classics.
He subsequently turned his attention almost exclusively to the poets of the German classical period, notably Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
and Schiller
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. During the last seventeen years of his life , Schiller struck up a productive, if complicated, friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...
. Düntzer's method met with much opposition and he consequently failed to obtain the professorship he coveted. In 1846 he accepted the post of librarian at the Roman Catholic gymnasium in Cologne, where he died. Düntzer was a painstaking and accurate critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
, but lacking in inspiration and finer literary taste; consequently his work as a biographer and commentator has, to a great extent, been superseded and discredited.
Among his philological writings may be mentioned:
- Die Lehre von der lateinischen Wortbildung (1836)
- Die Deklination der indogermanischen Sprachen (1839)
- Homer und der epische Kyklos (1839)
- Die homerischen Beiwörter des Götter- und Menschengeschlechts (1859).
Of his works on the German classical poets, especially Goethe, Schiller and Herder, the following are particularly worthy of note:
- Erläuterungen zu den deutschen Klassikern (1853–1892)
- Goethes Prometheus und Pandora (1850)
- Goethes Faust (2 vols., 1850–1851; 2nd ed. 1857)
- Goethes Götz und Egmont (1854)
- Aus Goethes Freundeskreise (1868)
- Abhandlungen zu Goethes Leben und Werken (2 vols, 1885)
- Goethes Tagebücher der sechs ersten weimarischen Jahre (1889)
- Goethes Leben (1880; 2nd ed. 1883; Engl. transl. by T Lyster, London, 1884)
- Schillers Leben (1881)
- Schiller und Goethe (1859)
- Übersicht und Erläuterung zum Briefwechsel zwischen Schiller und Goethe (1859)
- Herders Reise nach Italien (1859)
- Aus Herders Nachlass (3 vols., 1856–1857)
- Charlotte von Stein (1874).