Christian Adolph Klotz
Encyclopedia
Christian Adolph Klotz was a German
philologist. He was a renowned representative of the transition period between the Age of Enlightenment
and Sturm und Drang
.
, Lusatia
. He attended the gymnasium in Meißen
and Görlitz
. From 1758 till 1760 he studied at the University of Leipzig
. Already in these years he published first philological works. Then he moved to the University of Jena, where he wrote polemic papers against Pieter Burman the Younger. Klotz defended his dissertation and habilitation in Jena and held lectures about Horace
.
, where he served as Professor für Philosophie und Beredsamkeit (Professor of Philosophy and Eloquence). There he became very popular for his literary creations and exerted a significant influence on the contemporary taste and thinking. Johann Georg Jacobi
was among his supporters. Klotz published various literary journals, among them Acta Litteraria, and introduced his students to Italian poetry as of Torquato Tasso
.
In 1766 Klotz was appointed court council by the king, after he had refused a call to Warsaw
. In 1769 he supported Karl Friedrich Bahrdt
, who came like Klotz from Bischofswerda, to obtain the chair of biblical antiquities in the philosophical faculty at Erfurt
, two years after scandals in Bahrdt's private life had led to his dismissal.
Klotz' strength were his ability to cover a wide range of topics and his aesthetic as well as enjoyable style, both in Latin and German language. As his weakness, however, critics identified sometimes the depth and originality of his thinking. Johann Gottfried Herder
and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
became known as the most influential opponents. Klotz died in Halle in 1771.
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. He was a renowned representative of the transition period between the Age of Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
and Sturm und Drang
Sturm und Drang
Sturm und Drang is a proto-Romantic movement in German literature and music taking place from the late 1760s through the early 1780s, in which individual subjectivity and, in particular, extremes of emotion were given free expression in reaction to the perceived constraints of rationalism...
.
Education
Klotz, son of a senior church official, was born in BischofswerdaBischofswerda
Bischofswerda is a small town in Germany at the western edge of Upper Lusatia in Saxony.-Geography:The town is located 33 km to the east of Dresden at the edge of the Upper Lusatian mountain country. The town is known as the "Gateway to Upper Lusatia" - "Tor zur Oberlausitz" in German. It is...
, Lusatia
Lusatia
Lusatia is a historical region in Central Europe. It stretches from the Bóbr and Kwisa rivers in the east to the Elbe valley in the west, today located within the German states of Saxony and Brandenburg as well as in the Lower Silesian and Lubusz voivodeships of western Poland...
. He attended the gymnasium in Meißen
Federal School of Saxony - Saint Afra
. The Federal School of Saxony - Saint Afra is a boarding school for highly gifted students in the German city of Meissen, Saxony. Founded in 1543 as Fürstliche Landesschule and re-established in 2001, the stated aim of the school is to promote the intellectual and social development of highly...
and Görlitz
Görlitz
Görlitz is a town in Germany. It is the easternmost town in the country, located on the Lusatian Neisse River in the Bundesland of Saxony. It is opposite the Polish town of Zgorzelec, which was a part of Görlitz until 1945. Historically, Görlitz was in the region of Upper Lusatia...
. From 1758 till 1760 he studied at the University of Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
. Already in these years he published first philological works. Then he moved to the University of Jena, where he wrote polemic papers against Pieter Burman the Younger. Klotz defended his dissertation and habilitation in Jena and held lectures about Horace
Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...
.
Work
In 1762 he obtained the position of an associate professor and in 1763 that of a full professor from the University of Göttingen. In 1765 Klotz moved to HalleUniversity of Halle-Wittenberg
The Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg , also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg within Saxony-Anhalt, Germany...
, where he served as Professor für Philosophie und Beredsamkeit (Professor of Philosophy and Eloquence). There he became very popular for his literary creations and exerted a significant influence on the contemporary taste and thinking. Johann Georg Jacobi
Johann Georg Jacobi
Johann Georg Jacobi was a German poet.The elder brother of the philosopher Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi, Johann Georg was born at Pempelfort near Düsseldorf. He studied theology at Göttingen and jurisprudence at Helmstedt, and was appointed, in 1766, professor of philosophy in Halle. In this year he...
was among his supporters. Klotz published various literary journals, among them Acta Litteraria, and introduced his students to Italian poetry as of Torquato Tasso
Torquato Tasso
Torquato Tasso was an Italian poet of the 16th century, best known for his poem La Gerusalemme liberata , in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between Christians and Muslims at the end of the First Crusade, during the siege of Jerusalem...
.
In 1766 Klotz was appointed court council by the king, after he had refused a call to Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. In 1769 he supported Karl Friedrich Bahrdt
Karl Friedrich Bahrdt
Karl Friedrich Bahrdt , German theologian and adventurer, was born at Bischofswerda, Upper Lusatia, where his father, afterwards professor, canon and general superintendent at Leipzig, was pastor....
, who came like Klotz from Bischofswerda, to obtain the chair of biblical antiquities in the philosophical faculty at Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
, two years after scandals in Bahrdt's private life had led to his dismissal.
Klotz' strength were his ability to cover a wide range of topics and his aesthetic as well as enjoyable style, both in Latin and German language. As his weakness, however, critics identified sometimes the depth and originality of his thinking. Johann Gottfried Herder
Johann Gottfried Herder
Johann Gottfried von Herder was a German philosopher, theologian, poet, and literary critic. He is associated with the periods of Enlightenment, Sturm und Drang, and Weimar Classicism.-Biography:...
and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing was a German writer, philosopher, dramatist, publicist, and art critic, and one of the most outstanding representatives of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the development of German literature...
became known as the most influential opponents. Klotz died in Halle in 1771.
Literature
- Ueber das Studium des Alterthums, 1766
- http://books.google.com/books/download/Lessing_s_und_Klotz_s_Briefe_vornehmlich.pdf?id=CnUZAAAAYAAJ&hl=de&output=pdf&sig=ACfU3U0nJWTwLShouzk-XaZNP8jodTEqjwLessing's und Klotz's Briefe vornehmlich den Laokoon betreffend mit Heyne's Grundriss einer Anweisung zur Kenntniss der alten Kunstwerke: Nebst denkwürdigen Thatsachen im geschichtlichen Zusammenhange für die Literatur-Welt, Wissenschaft, Kunst, und Buchhandel, Ed.: Johann Heinrich Martin Ernesti, 1834]