From Hebban olla vogala to Vondel: Dutch literature before 1830

Teacher(s)

Vanasten Stéphanie;

Language

Dutch

Prerequisites

Level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages 

Main themes

• Reflection on the concept of "history of literature": analysis of its methodological and disciplinary foundations (especially for Dutch-language literature); 
• Introduction to the history of Dutch literature from the Middle Ages to the end of the 18th century and contextualization bearing in mind the (main) cultural, artistical, philosophical, political and social European productions; 
• Attempt at a synthesis of the major literary productions while confronting the analysis of individual movements; study of specific poetics for the period and of the emergence of circulation phenomena. Compulsory readings of literary texts or excerpts from the period illustrate the subject. 
• Development of heuristic skills and of skills in the reading of scientific texts and writing of personal academic work in the field of Dutch-language literary studies. 

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	Read, understand and analyze the literary works studied in Dutch, from the Middle Ages to the 18th century ;
2	Explain the main developments of Dutch-language literature from the Middle Ages to the 18th century and relate them to different contexts (linguistic, cultural, artistic, philosophical, ideological, social, political) as well as the European literary history;
3	Situate the major authors and literary texts or genres in Dutch language on a timeline (periods, movements, generations); and report their circulation and show the specificity of the studied literary phenomena ;
4	Critically discuss the legitimacy and the validity of the periodization used and write, from the perspective of literary and cultural history, a brief personal comment (essay, paper) on a given literary text.
5	Find relevant and representative scientific sources, list them correctly (bibliography), report on their central argument and integrate them, in accordance with academic conventions, into a personal scientific production presenting a personal research hypothesis on Dutch-language literature of the period studied.
This learning unit contributes to the development and command of the following skills and learning outcomes of the ELAL programmes: 1.5; 1.6; 2.3.; 2.6; 3.5.; 4.3; 5.6; 6.4.

Content

This course is devoted to the study of Dutch literature from the Middle Ages to the end of the 18th century. It explores the main figures and founding texts in Dutch literature, situates them in their several historical contexts (linguistic, political, aesthetic, philosophical, social, and cultural) and investigates their circulation and posterity in our own day and age. Major authors, prominent figures, literary movements, works and genres are considered and discussed critically. 

Teaching methods

The course includes formal lectures with Powerpoint and multimedia materials which focus on interpretations of literary texts (or excerpts) in Dutch chosen to include a wide variety of themes, registers, genres and periods. These texts form a representative sample for the time periods under consideration, and are read and prepared at home by all students. A group visit to the Plantin Moretus Museum in Antwerp illustrates the purpose of the course.

Another part of the course consists of tutorials conducted by a teaching assistant. These tutorials help the students to understand the literary texts of the corpus and to develop a personal argument when they present a literary analysis based on scholarly resources. Active participation is required.
Exercises on specific topics introduced in the formal lectures, the tutorials, or in the self-study modules on Moodle allow the students to make themselves familiar with the evaluation method. Special attention is paid to their gathering of data, their use of heuristic tools, and their research methods for the study of Dutch literature.

Evaluation methods

Formative and Continuous Assessment (20 %): active participation, based on the compulsory preparatory reading of literary texts, of the student in class; obligatory workshops and learning activities (including an obligatory museum visit); completion of three specific individual or group tasks aimed at reading and analysing texts.
Final assessment (80%):

• the written exam (60%) will be based on the historical survey and textual analyses offered in the formal lectures, and on the syllabus (anthology of required reading). There will be an assessment of the students’ in-depth reading of the texts or extracts.
• the oral exam (20%) is based on a short paper written by each student. This paper needs to establish a link with a text chosen by each individual student from the required reading list. Its aim is to enable the lecturer(s) to assess the student’s ability to conduct research on a topic using scholarly methods on the basis of a preparatory document submitted in advance, with supporting sources. The final version needs to consist of a brief commentary on the chosen text. It should be based on a sustained argument and include a critical reflection on the origins of the text, its historical context and its posterity.

Correct use of the Dutch language, especially in writing, is essential. The quality of the language will be taken into account for the assessment and an excessive number of errors may lead to the student failing this part of the exam.
In case of a resit, the assessment of the separate parts will be as follows: a written exam (70%) plus an oral exam (30%) based on the short paper. For the oral exam, the student is at liberty to decide, after consulting the lecturer(s), to improve the short paper whilst keeping the text or topic submitted in the previous exam session.
The final mark will be made up of the various assessment components weighted according to the percentages described above for each exam session. In order to achieve the minimum pass mark for this course, taking the various learning activities into account, a score of at least 8/20 must be obtained for each of the two parts of the final assessment (written exam, oral exam). If the student has obtained a mark of less than 8/20 for (one of) these parts, then the final mark for the entire exam session cannot exceed 9/20.

Other information

- Societal issues (social inequalities, gender issues (place of women), multilingualism, European cultures)

Online resources

see Moodle

Bibliography

Geschiedenis van de Nederlandse literatuur : dl 1 (I & II), dl 2, dl 3 en 4 (I) Amsterdam : Bert Bakker, 2006-2013 (aussi en ligne, www.dbnl.org):
Frits VAN OOSTROM, Stemmen op schrift. Geschiedenis van de Nederlandse literatuur tot 1300. Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Bert Bakker, 2006. Deel 1(I).
Frits VAN OOSTROM, Wereld in woorden. Geschiedenis van de Nederlandse literatuur 1300-1400, Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Bert Bakker, 2013. Deel 1 (II).
Herman PLEIJ, Het gevleugelde woord. Geschiedenis van de Nederlandse literatuur 1400-1560, Amsterdam: Bert Bakker, 2007. Deel 2.
Karel PORTEMAN & Mieke B. SMITS-VELDT, Een nieuw vaderland voor de muzen. Geschiedenis van de Nederlandse literatuur 1560-1700.Amsterdam: Bert Bakker, 2008. Deel 3.
Inger LEEMANS, Gert-Jan JOHANNES, Joost KLOEK, Worm en Donder (1700-1800: de Republiek). Amsterdam: Bert Bakker, 2013. Deel 4 (I)
Une bibliographie détaillée pour la période est mise à disposition sur Moodle.

Teaching materials

• portefeuille de lectures (anthologie), hand-outs et Powerpoints en séance, enregistrements sonores et vidéos, ressources pédagogiques sur la plateforme Moodle, matériel didactique et guide du visiteur concernant le Musée Plantin-Moretus à Anvers.

Faculty or entity

> ELAL