Jan Bloemendal – författare

Joost van den Vondel (1587-1679) was the most prolific poet and playwright of his age. During his long life, roughly coinciding with the Dutch Golden Age, he wrote over thirty tragedies. He was a famous figure in political and artistic circles of Amsterdam, a contemporary and acquaintance of Grotius and Rembrandt, and in general well acquainted with Latin humanists, Dutch scholars, authors and Amsterdam burgomasters. He fuelled literary, religious and political debates. His tragedy 'Gysbreght van Aemstel', which was played on the occasion of the opening of the stone city theatre in 1638, was to become the most famous play in Dutch history, and can probably boast holding the record for the longest tradition of annual performance in Europe. In general, Vondel’s texts are literary works in the full sense of the word, complex and inexhaustive; attracting attention throughout the centuries. Contributors include: Eddy Grootes, Riet Schenkeveld-van der Dussen, Mieke B. Smits-Veldt, Marijke Spies, Judith Pollmann, Bettina Noak, Louis Peter Grijp, Guillaume van Gemert, Jürgen Pieters, Nina Geerdink, Madeleine Kasten, Marco Prandoni, Peter Eversmann, Mieke Bal, Maaike Bleeker, Bennett Carpenter, James A. Parente, Jr., Stefan van der Lecq, Jan Frans van Dijkhuizen, Helmer Helmers, Kristine Steenbergh, Yasco Horsman, Jeanne Gaakeer, and Wiep van Bunge.

Early modern theatre was a visual matter, even though the authors wrote plays which were mainly meant to be read. But whether they wrote their plays to have them performed or not, authors could use comedies, tragi-comedies or tragedies to influence public opinion, to make a statement in a debate, or to convey explicit or implicit lessons that they carried out or had carried out by linguistic, rhetorical and theatrical means. How explicit they were in expressing their views depended on the characters of the authors or the circumstances in which they wrote. Questions regarding the opinion-forming and opinion-following functions of theatre, the means by which authors and theatre makers expressed their ideas, and the role of theatre and plays in public debate are discussed from various angles. Such questions refer not only to ‘literary’ plays, but also to other forms of theatrical event, such as royal entrances.Contributors include: Imre Bésanger, Hartmut Beyer, Stijn Bussels, Jean-Frédéric Chevalier, Verena Demoed, Arjan van Dixhoorn, Ron Gruijters, Jelle Koopmans, Frans-Willem Korsten, Katell Lavéant, Hubert Meeus, Marco Prandoni, and Helmar Schramm.

From ca. 1300 a new genre developed in European literature, Neo-Latin drama. Building on medieval drama, vernacular theatre and classical drama, it spread around Europe. It was often used as a means to educate young boys in Latin, in acting and in moral issues. Comedies, tragedies and mixed forms were written. The Societas Jesu employed Latin drama in their education and public relations on a large scale. They had borrowed the concept of this drama from the humanist and Protestant gymnasia, and perfected it to a multi media show. However, the genre does not receive the attention that it deserves. In this volume, a historical overview of this genre is given, as well as analyses of separate plays.Contributors include: Jan Bloemendal, Jean-Frédéric Chevalier, Cora Dietl, Mathieu Ferrand, Howard Norland, Joaquín Pascual Barea, Fidel Rädle, and Raija Sarasti Willenius.

Politics and Aesthetics in European Baroque and Classicist Tragedy is a volume of essays investigating European tragedy in the seventeenth century, comparing Shakespeare, Vondel, Gryphius, Racine and several other vernacular tragedians, together with consideration of neo-Latin dramas by Jesuits and other playwrights. To what extent were similar themes, plots, structures and styles elaborated? How is difference as well as similarity to be accounted for? European drama is beginning to be considered outside of the singular vernacular frameworks in which it has been largely confined (as instanced in the conferences and volumes of essays held in the Universities of Munich and Berlin 2010-12), but up-to-date secondary material is sparse and difficult to obtain. This volume intends to help remedy that deficit by addressing the drama in a full political, religious, legal and social context, and by considering the plays as interventions in those contexts.Contributors are: Christian Biet, Jan Bloemendal, Helmer J. Helmers, Blair Hoxby, Sarah M. Knight, Tatiana Korneeva, Frans-Willem Korsten, Joel B. Lande, Russell J. Leo, Howard B. Norland, Kirill Ospovat, James A. Parente, Jr., Freya Sierhuis, Nienke Tjoelker and Emily Vasiliauskas.

This is the first edition since its original publication of Daniel Heinsius’ Latin tragedy Auriacus, sive Libertas saucia (Orange, or Liberty Wounded, 1602), with an introduction, a parallel English translation, and a commentary. Centering on the assassination of William of Orange, one of the leaders of the Dutch Revolt against King Philip II of Spain, Auriacus was Heinsius’ history drama, with which he aimed to raise Dutch drama to the level of classical drama. Highly influential, the tragedy contributed to the construction of a national identity in the Low Countries and launched Heinsius’ long career as an internationally celebrated poet and professor at Leiden University.

This volume explores the indispensability of a transnational perspective for the construction and writing of literary histories of the Low Countries from 1200–1800. It looks at the role of mediators such as translators, printers, and editors, at characteristics of literary genres and the possibilities they offered for literary boundary crossing and adaptation, and at the role of regions and urban centers as multilingual hubs. This collection demonstrates the centrality of transnational perspectives for elucidating the complex inter-relationship between Netherlandic and European literary history. The Low Countries were a dynamic site for new literary production and transnational exchange that shaped and reshaped the intellectual landscape of premodern Europe.Contributors include: Lia van Gemert, Lucas van der Deijl, Feike Dietz, Paul Wackers, David Napolitano, James A. Parente, Jr., Frank Willaert, Youri Desplenter, Bart Besamusca, Frans R.E. Blom, and Jan Bloemendal.

This volume explores the indispensability of a transnational perspective for the construction and writing of literary histories of the Low Countries from 1200-1800. It looks at the role of mediators such as translators, printers, and editors, at characteristics of literary genres and the possibilities they offered for literary boundary crossing and adaptation, and at the role of regions and urban centers as multilingual hubs. This collection demonstrates the centrality of transnational perspectives for elucidating the complex inter-relationship between Netherlandic and European literary history. The Low Countries were a dynamic site for new literary production and transnational exchange that shaped and reshaped the intellectual landscape of premodern Europe. Contributors include: Lia van Gemert, Lucas van der Deijl, Feike Dietz, Paul Wackers, David Napolitano, James A. Parente, Jr., Frank Willaert, Youri Desplenter, Bart Besamusca, Frans R.E. Blom, and Jan Bloemendal.

Neo-Latin Drama in Early Modern Europe and Beyond addresses the development and transnational circulation of Neo-Latin drama, as well as its interaction with vernacular drama and the role of classical reception. It also suggests ways to further explore the corpus using digital tools. By providing an overview of the history of Neo-Latin drama in its secular, Protestant, or Roman Catholic (especially Jesuit) forms, it offers non-specialists an accessible introduction to this fascinating body of texts, which is central to early modern intellectual culture.