Marie
Joseph Alfred Croiset (5
January 1845 – 7 June 1923) was a French classical philologist. Born in Paris,
Alfred Croiset, son of the teacher and classical philologist (François) Paul
Croiset (1814-1897), attended the Lycée Charlemagne from
1855 to 1859 and then until 1864 the Lycée Louis-le-Grand in
Paris. His brother Maurice (1846–1935),
who was one year younge, also became an important classical philologist, and
the brothers often worked together. Alfred Croiset began studying classical
philology at the École normale supérieure in
1864, which he graduated in 1867. In the following ten years he taught at
various lycées in France (1867 Chambéry, 1868 Nevers, 1871 Montauban, 1871 Collège Stanislas in
Paris, 1874 Lycée Charlemagne in
Paris). This activity was only interrupted twice, first in 1870 during his
mobilization for the Franco-Prussian War, then
again in 1873 during his doctorate with the thesis Xénophon, son
caractère et son talent at the Sorbonne . In 1877 he
moved to the Sorbonne as maître de conférences , where he
completed his thesis De personis apud Aristophanem in 1880,
and in 1885 he became a professor there. In 1886 he became a member of
the Académie des
inscriptions et belles-lettres . From 1898 to 1919 he was
dean of the Faculté des lettres.
After leaving the position, he received the title of dean hc. He was on leave
and in 1921 retired. He died in Paris in 1923. In 1887 he became a Knight, in
1897 an Officer, in 1901 a Commander, and in 1913 a Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor. Croiset devoted himself mainly to Greek
literature. His critical edition of Plato's Dialogues, co- edited
with Louis Bodin, is still used today. In addition, he dealt with Pindar,
Thucydides as well as Xenophon and Aristophanes. With his brother he wrote a
widely read Greek literary history, which also became the basis of a manual.
Together with his writings on democracy education, it was particularly well
received and widely used in the United States. His efforts to reform teaching
as well as his many years of work as dean led to opposition with anti-modernist
circles, who accused him of the "scientization" and
"Germanization" of the humanities. Henri Massis was one of the critics from student circles
. Croiset's students included Paul Mazon, Auguste Diès, and Gustave Glotz .