Wunder was born at
Wittenberg on May 4, 1800, the son of Karl Friedrich Wunder, deacon and later archdeacon of the
Stadtkirche Wittenberg, and his wife, Christiane Friederike Ebert, daughter of Johann Jacob Ebert, a notable mathematician and astronomer. At the age of twelve, he was sent to the
lyceum at Wittenberg, where in 1814 he witnessed the siege and capture of the town from the
French by the
Prussian general
Tauentzien. From 1816 to 1818, he studied at the
Fürstliche Landesschule at
Meissen. In 1818, he entered the
University of Leipzig, where he studied philology under
Gottfried Hermann,
Christian Daniel Beck, and
Friedrich August Wilhelm Spohn. He earned his
Doctorate in Philosophy in 1823, and that spring was named adjunct professor at the Fürstenschule in
Grimma. Wunder advanced through the ranks of the teachers at Grimma, becoming a Full Professor in 1826, and First Professor in 1843, becoming the twentieth rector of the school. He held the post until his retirement in 1866, teaching at Grimma for forty-three years. He was regarded as an innovative leader, and his personality was seen as the embodiment of
Christian humanism. His work came to the attention of the state government at
Dresden, and in 1849 he was named a Knight of the
Civil Order of Saxony. He was named a Commander Second Class of the order upon his retirement. Wunder was forced to retire in 1866 due to poor health, as he suffered from an influenza-like illness. He never recovered, and died at Grimma on the night of March 24–25, 1869. Wunder was survived by his wife, the former Antonia Amalia Bär (d. 1871), whom he married in 1826. She was the daughter of Friedrich Gotthold Bär, the mayor of
Königstein. Eduard and Antonia had two children: Hermann Wunder (1829–1905), who also taught at Grimma, and Doris Wunder (1834–1908). Wunder was particularly notable for his work on
Sophocles, which was popular both in Germany and abroad. From 1831 to 1850, he published an explanatory edition of the playwright's work. He also published a critical edition of
Cicero's oration
Pro Plancio in 1830, which was highly influential for its insight on Cicero's use of language. ==Selected works==