Various authors (Dromel, Lorenz, Petersen, Wechssler, Pinder, Drerup, Mannheim, and so on) have addressed the theme of the generations, but it is Ortega y Gasset who must be recognized for having established in his theory of generations the key to understanding the intrinsic movement of the historical process. (31) 

In: Historiological Discussions, Silo

Chapter 3: History and Temporality, 3.2 Horizon and Temporal Landscape

Engelbert Drerup (1871 - 1942)

Topics

Rhetorical studies

• Studies on the Attic speakers Isocrates and Demosthenes, their rhetoric and stylistics

• Publication of the fundamental edition of the works of Isocrates

• Studies on prose rhythm and argumentation in the Attic court speeches

Palaeography and textual criticism

• Extensive work with medieval manuscripts of Greek texts in numerous libraries

• Text-critical editions, in particular in preparation for the Isocrates edition

Composition studies

• Analyses of the compositional technique of Greek tragedies

• Studies on ‘Homeric poetics’

Generationenforschung

• Studies on the role of generations in the historical and literary process of antiquity

• Periodisation of ancient literature from a generational perspective

Drerup's fields of work thus spanned a wide range of classical philology, from text criticism and editorial philology to rhetoric and stylistics, to issues of literary and cultural history. Particularly noteworthy are his pioneering works on generational research in antiquity

Major works

Isocrates Edition

• Fundamental critical edition of the works of the Attic orator Isocrates (1900-1923) - his major work

Rhetorical Studies

• ‘Aus einer alten Advokatenrepublik’ (1916) - Studies on Demosthenes and Attic rhetoric

• Studies on prosodic rhythm and argumentation in the Attic orations

Generation research

• ‘The generational problem in ancient Greece’ (1933) - Pioneering work on the role of generations in the cultural process

Homer research

• ‘The beginnings of Hellenic culture: Homer’ (1903) - Analysis of Homeric poetry

• Studies on ‘Homeric Poetics’ (unpublished)

Composition studies

• Studies on the compositional technique of Greek tragedies (partly unpublished)

In addition to these central works, Drerup wrote numerous other essays and treatises on various topics in classical philology. His edition of Isocrates' writings and his works on generational research are considered his most important and influential achievements

Influence

Drerup's work had a lasting influence on classical philology in the first half of the 20th century. His work remains an important reference, particularly for research into rhetoric and generations in ancient times. Many of his insights and approaches have been further developed and form the basis for research today.