In order to monitor the temperature of an electric generator, the temperatures of a plurality of rods of a stator winding of the generator being cooled by a coolant, preferably a water-cooled stator winding, are detected. In order to detect a temperature deviation in each winding rod, a measured actual or real temperature value of each winding rod is compared with a reference value for the winding rod. The reference value is derived from parameters previously determined for the winding rod by reference measurement and from presently or currently detected, operation-relevant parameters of the generator. The parameters for each winding rod are derived from a temperature of the winding rod detected during the reference measurement and from a number of functions that corresponds to the number of parameters. The functions are derived from operation-relevant parameters detected during the reference measurement in different states of operation of the generator. The temperature may thus be monitored while operation-relevant influencing variables, such as the stator current of the generator, are taken into account.