Ewald Flügel
Encyclopedia
Ewald Flügel was one of the international pioneers of the study of Old and Middle English
Literature and Language and one of the founding professors of English Studies at Stanford University
.
, 1788–1855) were involved in lexicographic projects and the teaching of English, was educated at the famous Nicolai School in Leipzig. He attended Leipzig University and received his doctoral degree with a dissertation on Thomas Carlyle
in 1885, his postdoctoral degree with a study of Philip Sidney
in 1988. From 1888 to 1892 he taught as "Privatdozent" (associate professor without tenure) at Leipzig and became coeditor (with Gustav Schirmer) of Anglia
, Germany's second academic journal dedicated to the study of English. Because he was unable to find the coveted professorship at Leipzig, he accepted a position at the newly founded Leland Stanford Jr. University in California
in 1892, where he taught until his death in 1914. Together with Bernhard ten Brink, Julius Zupitza
, John Koch
, and Eugen Kölbing
he counts among the founding scholars of English Studies
.
, the founder of the Chaucer Society, to take on the task of establishing a concordance
for the works of the medieval English poet, Geoffrey Chaucer
. What he inherited from colleagues who had previously worked on this large lexicographic topic was "slips of all sizes, shapes, colors, weights and textures, from paper that was almost tissue-paper to paper that was almost tin. Every slip contained matter that had to be reconsidered, revised, and often added to or deleted." Flügel, for several years supported by a grant from the Carnegie Foundation
, extended the already difficult project into a plan for a full-fledged dictionary of Middle English
. By 1908, he had collected a total of about 1,120,000 Chaucer slips and, realizing the enormous nature of the venue, began publishing the first letters of the dictionary in installments. Despite his work ethic and the support from a number of colleagues in Germany, France, Britain, and the U.S., he had to realize that his project would be impossible to finish. After his death, two American colleagues, John Tatlock and Arthur Kennedy
, would finalize the originally planned Chaucer Concordance. Flügel's work became the foundation of the Middle English Dictionary, which Hans Kurath
and Sherman M. Kuhn edited in the 1950s and 1960s: "No mere description can do justice to the dignity and amplitude of this work of scholarship, if it could have been completed and published. It would have set a new high-water mark for lexicography [...]; and it anticipated the prophecy of the editors of the Oxford Dictionary that further progress in the field must be with the specialized vocabularies of certain subjects, authors, and periods."
In addition to his work on Chaucer, his monograph on Carlyle, and his edition of Sidney, he published a host of essays and reviews, some of which were republished by his son, Felix Flügel, in 1930. He also contributed the section on North American literature to Richard Wülcker's Geschichte der englischen Literatur (2nd. edn., 1907) and compiled an anthology, Neuenglisches Lesebuch (1895).
in the late nineteenth- and early twentieth century an enthusiasm about transplanting what they considered German ideas and ideals into the New World. In several speeches to German-American audiences, Flügel not only recommended the cultivation of German heritage in the United States
, but declared that, "statistically speaking, in a matter of 50 years German immigrants will have become the ancestors of the larger half of this country" and that "In Germankind the world once more its weal may find" ("Es mag am Deutschen Wesen/Einmal noch die Welt genesen.")
Middle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
Literature and Language and one of the founding professors of English Studies at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
.
Biography
Flügel, whose father (Karl Alfred Felix Flügel, 1820–1904) and grandfather (Johann Gottfried FlügelJohann Gottfried Flügel
Johann Gottfried Flügel , German lexicographer, was born at Barby near Magdeburg.He was originally a merchant's clerk, but emigrating to the United States in 1810, he made a special study of the English language, and returning to Germany in 1819, was in 1824 appointed lector of the English language...
, 1788–1855) were involved in lexicographic projects and the teaching of English, was educated at the famous Nicolai School in Leipzig. He attended Leipzig University and received his doctoral degree with a dissertation on Thomas Carlyle
Thomas Carlyle
Thomas Carlyle was a Scottish satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher during the Victorian era.He called economics "the dismal science", wrote articles for the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, and became a controversial social commentator.Coming from a strict Calvinist family, Carlyle was...
in 1885, his postdoctoral degree with a study of Philip Sidney
Philip Sidney
Sir Philip Sidney was an English poet, courtier and soldier, and is remembered as one of the most prominent figures of the Elizabethan Age...
in 1988. From 1888 to 1892 he taught as "Privatdozent" (associate professor without tenure) at Leipzig and became coeditor (with Gustav Schirmer) of Anglia
Anglia (journal)
Anglia, subtitled Zeitschrift für Englische Philologie is an German journal on English Linguistics. It was started in 1878. There are about three issues a year.-History:...
, Germany's second academic journal dedicated to the study of English. Because he was unable to find the coveted professorship at Leipzig, he accepted a position at the newly founded Leland Stanford Jr. University in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1892, where he taught until his death in 1914. Together with Bernhard ten Brink, Julius Zupitza
Julius Zupitza
Julius Zupitza was a German philologist and one of the founders of English Studies.-Biography:Zupitza was the son of Major Andreas Zupitza and his wife, Adelheid, née Albrecht...
, John Koch
John Koch
John Koch was an American painter, and an important figure in 20th century realist painting. His early work may be considered Impressionist...
, and Eugen Kölbing
Eugen Kölbing
Eugen Kölbing was a German philologist, a specialist in the study of Nordic, English, and French language and literature and comparative linguistics and literature.-Academic Career:...
he counts among the founding scholars of English Studies
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
.
Research and Scholarship
While still in Leipzig, Flügel was approached by Frederick James FurnivallFrederick James Furnivall
Frederick James Furnivall , one of the co-creators of the Oxford English Dictionary , was an English philologist...
, the founder of the Chaucer Society, to take on the task of establishing a concordance
Concordance
Concordance can mean:* Concordance , a list of words used in a body of work, with their immediate contexts* Concordance , the presence of the same trait in both members of a pair of twins...
for the works of the medieval English poet, Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...
. What he inherited from colleagues who had previously worked on this large lexicographic topic was "slips of all sizes, shapes, colors, weights and textures, from paper that was almost tissue-paper to paper that was almost tin. Every slip contained matter that had to be reconsidered, revised, and often added to or deleted." Flügel, for several years supported by a grant from the Carnegie Foundation
Carnegie Foundation
The Carnegie Foundation is an organization based in The Hague, Netherlands. It was founded in 1903 by Andrew Carnegie in order to manage his donation of US$1.5 million, which was used for the construction, management and maintenance of the Peace Palace...
, extended the already difficult project into a plan for a full-fledged dictionary of Middle English
Middle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
. By 1908, he had collected a total of about 1,120,000 Chaucer slips and, realizing the enormous nature of the venue, began publishing the first letters of the dictionary in installments. Despite his work ethic and the support from a number of colleagues in Germany, France, Britain, and the U.S., he had to realize that his project would be impossible to finish. After his death, two American colleagues, John Tatlock and Arthur Kennedy
Arthur Kennedy
Arthur Kennedy may refer to:* Arthur Kennedy , American film actor* Arthur Kennedy , British colonial administrator* Arthur Kennedy , Roman Catholic Auxiliary Bishop-elect in Boston, Massachusetts....
, would finalize the originally planned Chaucer Concordance. Flügel's work became the foundation of the Middle English Dictionary, which Hans Kurath
Hans Kurath
Hans Kurath was an American linguist of Austrian origin. He was full professor for English and Linguistics at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor...
and Sherman M. Kuhn edited in the 1950s and 1960s: "No mere description can do justice to the dignity and amplitude of this work of scholarship, if it could have been completed and published. It would have set a new high-water mark for lexicography [...]; and it anticipated the prophecy of the editors of the Oxford Dictionary that further progress in the field must be with the specialized vocabularies of certain subjects, authors, and periods."
In addition to his work on Chaucer, his monograph on Carlyle, and his edition of Sidney, he published a host of essays and reviews, some of which were republished by his son, Felix Flügel, in 1930. He also contributed the section on North American literature to Richard Wülcker's Geschichte der englischen Literatur (2nd. edn., 1907) and compiled an anthology, Neuenglisches Lesebuch (1895).
Political Activity
Flügel shared with many of his fellow expatriates from GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in the late nineteenth- and early twentieth century an enthusiasm about transplanting what they considered German ideas and ideals into the New World. In several speeches to German-American audiences, Flügel not only recommended the cultivation of German heritage in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, but declared that, "statistically speaking, in a matter of 50 years German immigrants will have become the ancestors of the larger half of this country" and that "In Germankind the world once more its weal may find" ("Es mag am Deutschen Wesen/Einmal noch die Welt genesen.")
Select Works
- "Frederick James Furnivall (1825-1910)." Anglia Beiblatt 33 (1910), 527-29.
- "Henry Bradshaw: Librarian and Scholar." Library Journal 29 (1904), 409-13.
- "Roger Bacon's Stellung in der Geschichte der Philosophie." Philosophische Studien 19 (1902), 164-91.
- Thomas Carlyle's Moral and Religious Development. Trans. Jessica Gilbert Tyler (New York: Holbrook, 1891). [translation of his doctoral dissertation]