Johann Gottfried Jakob Hermann (28 November 1772 – 31 December 1848) was a German classical scholar andphilologist. He published his works under the name Gottfried Hermann or its Latin equivalentGodofredus Hermannus.
Hermann was born inLeipzig. Entering itsuniversity at the age of fourteen, he at first studiedlaw, which he soon abandoned for theclassics. After a session atJena in 1793–1794, he became a lecturer on classical literature in Leipzig, in 1798 professor extraordinarius ofphilosophy in the university, and in 1803 professor of eloquence (andpoetry, 1809).[1] His students includedLeopold von Ranke. In 1840 in occasion of his 50th doctoral anniversary he received a medal.[2] He died in Leipzig.
Hermann maintained that an accurate knowledge of the Greek and Latin languages was the only road to a clear understanding of the intellectual life of the ancient world, and the chief, if not the only, aim of philology. As the leader of this grammatico-critical school, he came into collision withPhilipp August Böckh andKarl Otfried Müller, the representatives of the historico-antiquarian school, which regarded Hermann's view of philology as inadequate and one-sided.[1]
Hermann devoted his early attention to the classical poetical metres, and published several works on that subject, the most important beingElementa doctrinae metricae (1816), in which he set forth a scientific theory based on theKantian categories. He also wrote aHandbuch der Metrik (1798) andDe metris poetarum graecorum et romanorum (1796), in which he first notes the avoidance of word break in hexameter now calledHermann's Bridge. His writings on Greek grammar are also valuable, especiallyDe emendanda ratione Graecae grammaticae (1801), and notes and excursus onFrançois Viger's treatise on Greek idioms.[3][1] The principles of the new method he introduced are not only explicitly developed inDe Emendenda Ratione Græcæ Grammaticæ, but are practically illustrated in his numerous editions of the ancient classics.
His editions of the classics include several of the plays ofEuripides; theClouds ofAristophanes (1799);Trinummus ofPlautus (1800);Poëtica ofAristotle (1802);Orphica, a collection of works ofOrphic literature (1805); theHomeric Hymns (1806); and theLexicon ofPhotius (1808). In 1825 Hermann finished the edition ofSophocles begun byErfurdt. His edition ofAeschylus was published after his death in 1852. TheOpuscula, a collection of his smaller writings inLatin, appeared in seven volumes in Leipzig between 1827 and 1839.[1] These show his power of dealing with chronological, topographical, and personal questions, and also contain some poems.
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Hermann, Johann Gottfried Jakob".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 367. This work in turn cites: