Eduard Fraenkel
Encyclopedia
Eduard David Mortier Fraenkel (17 March 1888, Berlin
– 5 February 1970, Oxford
) was a German-English philologist.
. His father was a wine dealer, and his mother the daughter of an important publishing family. At the age of ten, Fraenkel suffered from an attack of osteomyelitis
in his right arm that deformed his right hand. From 1897 to 1906 he attended the Askanisches Gymnasium in Berlin, where he was educated in Greek and Latin. At University, he began to study law, but soon turned his attention to Classics at Berlin University under the great philologist Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff
. After two years, he moved from Berlin to Göttingen
where he stayed until 1912, studying under Friedrich Leo
(1851-1914).
. He held this post throughout the war until he was forced to retire under the age limit in 1951. Nonetheless, Corpus Christi and the Oxford University Literae Humaniores Board secured funding for Fraenkel to continue his popular seminars. Fraenkel committed suicide in January 1970, aged 81, shortly after the death (by natural causes) of his wife.
, "Plautinisches im Plautus", which was later expanded and translated into Italian as "Elementi Plautini in Plauto". An English version, entitled "Plautine Elements in Plautus", was published in 2007 on the basis of the German and Italian versions. Also notable are his magisterial three volume text, commentary, and translation of the Agamemnon of Aeschylus
, which remains one of the standard works of scholarship on that play, and a valuable study of the lyric poetry of Horace
.
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
– 5 February 1970, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
) was a German-English philologist.
Background and early life
Eduard Fraenkel was born to Jewish parents in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. His father was a wine dealer, and his mother the daughter of an important publishing family. At the age of ten, Fraenkel suffered from an attack of osteomyelitis
Osteomyelitis
Osteomyelitis simply means an infection of the bone or bone marrow...
in his right arm that deformed his right hand. From 1897 to 1906 he attended the Askanisches Gymnasium in Berlin, where he was educated in Greek and Latin. At University, he began to study law, but soon turned his attention to Classics at Berlin University under the great philologist Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff
Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff
Enno Friedrich Wichard Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff was a German Classical Philologist. Wilamowitz, as he is known in scholarly circles, was a renowned authority on Ancient Greece and its literature.- Youth :...
. After two years, he moved from Berlin to Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
where he stayed until 1912, studying under Friedrich Leo
Friedrich Leo
Friedrich Leo was a German classical philologist born in Regenwalde, today known as Resko, Poland.From 1868 he was a student at the University of Göttingen, and following military duty in the Franco-Prussian War, he continued his education at the University of Bonn, where he had as instructors...
(1851-1914).
Later life
Losing his post under the antisemitic laws passed in 1933, Fraenkel emigrated to Britain and in 1934 took up the Chair in Latin at Corpus Christi College, OxfordCorpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
. He held this post throughout the war until he was forced to retire under the age limit in 1951. Nonetheless, Corpus Christi and the Oxford University Literae Humaniores Board secured funding for Fraenkel to continue his popular seminars. Fraenkel committed suicide in January 1970, aged 81, shortly after the death (by natural causes) of his wife.
Works
Eduard Fraenkel was one of the most prominent and respected classical philologists of the 20th century, publishing monumental studies of both Greek and Latin poets. Most well known are his book-length study of the Roman comic poet PlautusPlautus
Titus Maccius Plautus , commonly known as "Plautus", was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are the earliest surviving intact works in Latin literature. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the genre devised by the innovator of Latin literature, Livius Andronicus...
, "Plautinisches im Plautus", which was later expanded and translated into Italian as "Elementi Plautini in Plauto". An English version, entitled "Plautine Elements in Plautus", was published in 2007 on the basis of the German and Italian versions. Also notable are his magisterial three volume text, commentary, and translation of the Agamemnon of Aeschylus
Aeschylus
Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...
, which remains one of the standard works of scholarship on that play, and a valuable study of the lyric poetry of 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:...
.
Writings (Select)
- 1922 Plautinisches bei Plautus, Berlin: Weidmannsche BuchhandlungWeidmannsche BuchhandlungWeidmannsche Buchhandlung is a German book publisher established in 1680 that remained independent until it was acquired by Verlag Georg Olms in 1983..-History:...
.- 2007 Plautine Elements in PlautusPlautusTitus Maccius Plautus , commonly known as "Plautus", was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are the earliest surviving intact works in Latin literature. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the genre devised by the innovator of Latin literature, Livius Andronicus...
, translated by Tomas Drevikovsky and Frances Muecke, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- 2007 Plautine Elements in Plautus
- 1926 Die Stelle des Römertums in der humanistischen Bildung, Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung.
- 1928 Iktus und Akzent im lateinischen Sprechvers, Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung.
- 1930 Gedanken zu einer deutschen Vergilfeier, Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung.
- 1933 Das Pindargedicht des Horaz, Heidelberg: Carl Winter.
- 1950 AeschylusAeschylusAeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...
: Agamemnon, edited with a commentary, Oxford: Clarendon Press.- 1957 Der Agamemnon des Aeschylus, Zürich: Artemis.
- 1957 Die sieben Redenpaare im Thebanerdrama des Aeschylus, München: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften.
- 1957 HoraceHoraceQuintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...
, Oxford: Clarendon Press- 1963 Horaz, Darmstadt: WBG.
- 1962 Beobachtungen zu Aristophanes, Rom: Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura.
- 1963 Zu den Phoenissen des Euripides, München: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften.
- 1965 Noch einmal Kolon und Satz, München: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften.