JOHANN

FRIEDRICH

See also:

• JOHANN FRIEDRICH DUBNER (1802–1867)

DUBNER (1802–1867)  , German classical scholar (naturalized a Frenchman), was born in Hor selgau, near Gotha, on the loth of December 1802 . After studying at the university of Gottingen he returned to Gotha, where from 1827–1832 he held a post (inspector coenobii) in connexion with the gymnasium . During this period he made his name known by editions of Justin and Persius (after Casaubon) . In 1832 he was invited by the brothers Didot to Paris, to co-operate in a new edition of H . Etienne's Greek Thesaurus . He also contributed largely to the Bibliotheca Graeca published by the same firm, a series of Greek classics with Latin translation, critical notes and valuable indexes . One of Dubner's most important works was an edition of Caesar undertaken by command of Napoleon III., which obtained him the cross of the Legion of Honour . His editions are considered to be models of literary and philological criticism, and did much to raise the standard of classical scholarship in France . He 'violently attacked Burnouf's method of teaching Greek, but without result . Dubner may have gone too far in his zeal for reform, and his opinions may have been too harshly expressed, but time has shown him to be right . The old text-books have been discarded, and a great improvement in classical teaching has taken place in recent years . Dubner died at Montreuil-sous-Bois, near Paris, on the 13th of December 1867 .

See F .

Godefroy, Notice sur J . F . Dubner (1867) ; Sainte-Beuve, Discours a la memoire de Dubner (1868) ; article in Allgemeine deutsche Biographie .