Konrad Hofmann (14 November 1819 in Kloster Banz – 30 September 1890 in
Waging am See
Waging am See (officially: ''Waging a. See'') is a municipality in the district of Traunstein in Bavaria, Germany. The town, classified as a climatic spa, is located at the Waginger See, the warmest lake in Upper Bavaria, with temperatures up to ...
) 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 strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...
, who specialized in
Old French
Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
literature.
He initially studied medicine for three years at the University of Munich, where his interests ultimately changed to philology. He then furthered his education at the universities of University of Erlangen, Erlangen, University of Berlin, Berlin and University of Leipzig, Leipzig, receiving his doctorate in 1848 as a student of
Heinrich Leberecht Fleischer
Heinrich Leberecht Fleischer (21 February 1801 – 10 February 1888) was a German Orientalist.
Biography
He was born at Schandau, Saxony. From 1819 to 1824, he studied theology and Oriental languages at Leipzig, subsequently continuing his stud ...
. After graduation, he traveled to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, where he carried out research of the French
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
. In 1853 he succeeded
Johann Andreas Schmeller
Johann Andreas Schmeller (6 August 1785 in Tirschenreuth – 27 September 1852 in Munich) was a German philologist who initially studied the Bavarian dialect. From 1828 until his death he taught in the University of Munich. He is considered the ...
as an associate professor at Munich, becoming a full professor in 1856. In addition to his lectures on French and German philology, he also held classes in
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
and
paleography
Palaeography (American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, UK) or paleography (American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, US) (ultimately from , , 'old', and , , 'to write') is the study and academic disciplin ...
.
Selected works
* ''Ueber ein Fragment des Guillaume d'Orenge'', 1851 – On a fragment of
William of Gellone
William of Gellone ( 755 – 28 May 812 or 814), the medieval William of Orange, was the second Duke of Toulouse from 790 until 811. In 804, he founded the abbey of Gellone. He was canonized a saint in 1066 by Pope Alexander II.
(supplement, 1852).
* ''Amis et Amiles und Jourdains de Blaivies'', 1852 – "
Amis et Amiles
''Amis et Amiles'' is an old French romance based on a widespread legend of friendship and sacrifice. In its earlier and simpler form it is the story of two friends, one of whom, Amis, was sick with leprosy because he had committed perjury to sa ...
" and " Jourdain de Blaives".
* ''Altfranzösische lyrische gedichte aus dem Berner codex 389'', 1868 – Old French lyric poems from the Bernese codex 389.
* ''Ueber Jourdain de Blaivies, Apollonius von Tyrus, Salomon und Marcolf'', 1871 – On "Jourdain de Blaives", "
Apollonius of Tyre
Apollonius of Tyre is the hero of a short ancient novel, popular in the Middle Ages. Existing in numerous forms in many languages, all are thought to derive from an ancient Greek version now lost.
Plot summary
In most versions, the eponymous ...
" and "
Solomon and Marcolf
Solomon and Marcolf is a medieval narrative describing the adventures and conversations of Solomon and Marcolf, or Marolf. The adventures have some connection with those of Ashmedai, while the conversations consist chiefly of riddles similar to ...
Franz Muncker
Franz Muncker (4 December 1855, in Bayreuth – 7 September 1926, in Munich) was a German literary historian.
From 1873 he studied Old German and Romance languages and literature under Konrad Hofmann and modern languages and literature with Mich ...
, 1880) – " Joufrois", an old French knight poem.
* ''Lutwins Adam und Eva'', 1881 – Lutwin's "
Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman. They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. ...
".
* ''Johann Andreas Schmeller. Eine Denkrede'', 1885 – On
Johann Andreas Schmeller
Johann Andreas Schmeller (6 August 1785 in Tirschenreuth – 27 September 1852 in Munich) was a German philologist who initially studied the Bavarian dialect. From 1828 until his death he taught in the University of Munich. He is considered the ...
.Most widely held works by Konrad Albrich Hofmann WorldCat Identities
His correspondence with archivist Eduard von Kausler was published as ''Briefe Konrad Hofmanns an Eduard von Kausler aus den Jahren 1848 bis 1873'' ("Letters of Konrad Hofmann and Eduard von Kausler from the years 1848 to 1873"; introduction and remarks by
Karl Vollmöller
Karl Gustav Vollmöller (or Vollmoeller; 7 May 1878 – 18 October 1948) was a German philologist, archaeologist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and aircraft designer. He is most famous for the elaborate religious spectacle-pantomime '' The Mir ...