Johann Jakob Bodmer

Johann Jakob Bodmer ( born July 19, 1698 Greifensee, near Zurich, † January 2, 1783 at Gut Schönberg near Zurich ) was a Swiss philologist.

Life

After studying theology and training as a merchant Bodmer was a professor of Helvetian History and Politics at the Gymnasium Zurich. Significant is his rediscovery of the Middle High German poetry, as well as his work as a translator of Homer and John Milton. To mention but also that he cheated by Jacob Hermann Obereit, the real discoverer of the Nibelungen manuscript C in the castle library to Hohenems, this honor.

Bodmer's decisive contribution to the history of German literature was to be with his friend Johann Jakob Breitinger be transmitted dispute with the German " literature Pope » Johann Christoph Gottsched. His literary theoretical principles formulated Bodmer in critische treatise of the miraculous in the poetry of 1740 against Gottscheds French models he favored the English sensationalism of Milton. ; against the worship of antiquity, he held up the Middle Ages, which he influenced the Romantic critical. In some ways, the dispute between Bodmer, Breitinger and Gottsched was a German variant of French Querelle des Anciens et Modernes.

In addition to his formative influence on the literary life in Zurich Bodmer was also an important figure in the history of the city library. In 1722 he joins the company as a member of the municipal library company, since 1758, he serves as the Vice President. In Bodmer's suggestion, the company changes the name of their institution in the city library. In addition, Bodmer bequeathed to the city library a generous amount of money as well as a substantial part of his private collection of books, which passed into the library's collection after his death. As a tribute to this important Zurich and supporters of the Library Bodmer is still preserved as a still image to the right side of Conrad Gesner above the entrance of the Central Library Zurich. Letters, documents to person, materials and memoirs from the estate of Johann Jakob Bodmer are in the Manuscript Department of the Central Library Zurich.

The Bodmerstrasse in Tight quarters in Zurich was named after Johann Jakob Bodmer, as well as the Bodmer in Vienna Donau City ( 22nd District ).

Works (selection)

  • Charles of Burgundy. A tragedy (after Aeschylus ).
  • Four Critical poems.
  • The Discourse of Mahlern. 1721-1723
  • Letter - change of the nature of poetic taste. 1736th
  • Critische treatise of the Miraculous in Poetry. In 1740.
  • Critical reflections on the poetic painting of the poet. In 1741.
  • Critischer collection, Poetic, and of other witty writings. 1741-1744 Vol 1 ( digitized and full text in German Text Archive )
  • Vol 2 ( and digitized full text in German Text Archive )
  • Vol 3 ( digitized and full text in German Text Archive )
  • Vol 4 ( digitized and full text in German Text Archive )
  • Vol 5 ( digitized and full text in German Text Archive )
  • Vol 6 ( digitized and full text in German Text Archive )
  • Vol 7 ( digitized and full text in German Text Archive )
  • Vol 8 ( digitized and full text in German Text Archive )
  • Vol 9 ( digitized and full text in German Text Archive )
  • Vol 10 ( digitized and full text in German Text Archive )
  • Vol 11 ( digitized and full text in German Text Archive )
  • Vol 12 ( digitized and full text in German Text Archive )
Anton Graff Greifensee, Zürich Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns Homage Conrad Gessner Enge (Zürich) Neue Deutsche Biographie Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie Theaterlexikon der Schweiz Zeno.org Integrated Authority File
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