Ben Edwin Perry
Ben Edwin Perry (born February 21, 1892 in Fayette, Ohio , † November 1, 1968 in Urbana, Illinois ) was an American classical philologist who worked from 1924 to 1960 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign .
Life
Ben Edwin Perry, the son of a tool dealer , studied Classical Philology at the University of Michigan , where he obtained a Bachelor's degree in 1915 and a Master's degree in 1916. He then went for the purpose of promotion to the Princeton University where 1919 he the Ph. D. received.
After graduating, Perry first worked as a Latin teacher at the Undergraduate School in Urbana, Ohio (until 1920), at Dartmouth College (until 1922) and at Western Reserve University . In 1924 he went to the University of Illinois as Assistant Professor of Classics , where he was active in teaching and research until the end of his life (later as a full professor ). His colleague was the somewhat older William Abbott Oldfather (1880-1945). In 1960 Perry retired. As a visiting professor he taught at the University of Michigan in 1967.
Perry's research focused on ancient fable and the ancient novel, an unusual field of work at the time. Unlike Erwin Rohde , who initiated systematic research into the ancient novel in the 19th century, Perry emphasized the individual poetic achievements and inventions of the novelists in relation to the general development of the genre. In the ancient fable he particularly examined the numerous traditional versions in their diachronic development and traced them back to archetypes. This resulted in the Perry Index of Aesopian Fables, which has since been cited as the basic work of literary and ancient studies.
Perry received lifelong recognition for his scientific work. He was a member of the Advisory Council of the American Academy in Rome , was twice Guggenheim Fellow (1930–1931, 1954–1955) and 1951 Sather Professor . In 1955 he received the Goodwin Award .
literature
- William M. Calder III : Perry, Ben Edwin . In: Ward W. Briggs (Ed.): Biographical Dictionary of North American Classicists. Greenwood Press, Westport CT et al. 1994, ISBN 0-313-24560-6 , pp. 494-496
Web links
- Entry on Ben Edwin Perry in the Database of Classical Scholars (English)
- Literature by and about Ben Edwin Perry in the catalog of the German National Library
- Ben Edwin Perry Papers (University of Illinois Archives )
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Perry, Ben Edwin |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Perry, Ben E. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American classical philologist and university professor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 21, 1892 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Fayette (Ohio) |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1st November 1968 |
| Place of death | Urbana (Illinois) |