Gustav Roethe (5 May 1859, Graudenz – 17 September 1926, Bad Gastein) was a German

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...

Life

Roethe studied classical and Germanic philology in

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, t ...

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

and

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, obtaining his PhD in 1881 (doctoral advisor,

Friedrich Zarncke Hermann Georg Fiedler (28 April 1862 – 10 April 1945) was a German scholar, who became Taylor Professor of the German Language and Literature at the University of Oxford (1907–37). He was previously lecturer in German at Mason College (which ...

). In 1888 he succeeded Karl Goedeke as an associate professor of German philology at the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...

, and two years later, succeeded

Wilhelm Konrad Hermann Müller Wilhelm Konrad Hermann Müller (27 May 1812, Holzminden – 4 January 1890, Göttingen) was a philologist of Germanic studies. From 1830 he studied philology and theology at the University of Göttingen as a student of Karl Otfried Müller. ...

as a full professor of

German language German ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and Official language, official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Ita ...

and

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

. In 1902 he relocated to the

University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...

, where in 1923/24 he served as rector.Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Gustav Roethe, Rektor der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität zu Berlin His studies largely dealt with Middle High German literature, German Romanticism and "

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as treat ...

-research". His ''Die Gedichte Reinmars von Zweter'' ("Poetry of

Reinmar von Zweter Reinmar von Zweter (also spelled Reymar von Zwetel, Reymar von Zweten, Römer von Zwickau, Ehrenbote, born around 1200 in Zeutern, today known as Ubstadt-Weiher, Germany; died after 1248) was a Middle High German poet of Spruchdichtung. The ic ...

") formed the basis for research involving the history of

Middle High German Middle High German (MHG; german: Mittelhochdeutsch (Mhd.)) is the term for the form of German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High German and into Early New High German. High ...

'' Sangspruchdichtung'' (epigrammatic poetry). From 1908 onward, he was tasked with reorganization of the "''

Deutsches Wörterbuch The ''Deutsches Wörterbuch'' (; "The German Dictionary"), abbreviated ''DWB'', is the largest and most comprehensive dictionary of the German language in existence.Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the ...

. From 1891 to 1926, with

Edward Schröder Edward Schröder (18 May 1858 – 9 February 1942) was a Germanist and mediaevalist who was a professor at the University of Göttingen and published editions of numerous texts. Life and career Born in Witzenhausen and educated in Kassel, Sch ...

, he was editor of the "''

Zeitschrift für deutsches Altertum und deutsche Literatur The ''Zeitschrift für deutsches Altertum und deutsche Literatur'' (commonly abbreviated ''ZfdA'') is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal in the field of German studies with emphasis on the older periods. It was established in 1841 and is th ...

''". In 1921 he was named president of the

Goethe Society The (Goethe Society), not to be confused with the Goethe-Institut, is a literary and scientific organisation to explore the literary work of the German poet and writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It was founded in Weimar, where he lived, in 1885 ...

Selected works

* ''Reinmars von Zweter, Herkunft und Aufenthalt in Oesterreich unter Leopold VII'', 1883. * ''Die Gedichte Reinmars von Zweter'', 1887. * ''Die Reimvorreden des Sachsenspiegels'', 1899. * ''Jacob Grimms Vorlesungen über deutsche Litteraturgeschichte'', 1899. * ''Brentanos 'Ponce de Leon' : eine Säcularstudie'', 1901. * ''Nibelungias und Waltharius'', 1909. * ''Das geraubte deutsche Westpreußen'', 1926. * ''Goethe : gesammelte Vorträge und Aufsätze'', 1932.WorldCat Search
published works

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Roethe, Gustav 1859 births 1926 deaths People from Grudziądz People from West Prussia Academic staff of the Humboldt University of Berlin Academic staff of the University of Göttingen German philologists