Abstract
This article presents an analysis of the rhetorical and stylistic methods adopted
by Hadrian Junius (1511-1575) in the seventeenth chapter of his Batavia (1588),
in which he aimed to argue that printing was invented by Laurens Janszoon
Coster of Haarlem. The mythical status of the Coster Legend is, at present,
uncontested and well documented, but Junius’ rhetorical argument, inspired
by conversations with prominent citizens of Haarlem, has never before been
subjected to such thorough analysis. This article makes it clear that Junius’
primary intention was not to convey facts, but to deliver a deliberate mythologisation
of an already well-established legend about the invention of printing
in Haarlem. He presented this mythologisation as a classical plea against the
followers of Gutenberg.
by Hadrian Junius (1511-1575) in the seventeenth chapter of his Batavia (1588),
in which he aimed to argue that printing was invented by Laurens Janszoon
Coster of Haarlem. The mythical status of the Coster Legend is, at present,
uncontested and well documented, but Junius’ rhetorical argument, inspired
by conversations with prominent citizens of Haarlem, has never before been
subjected to such thorough analysis. This article makes it clear that Junius’
primary intention was not to convey facts, but to deliver a deliberate mythologisation
of an already well-established legend about the invention of printing
in Haarlem. He presented this mythologisation as a classical plea against the
followers of Gutenberg.
| Originalsprog | Nederlandsk |
|---|---|
| Tidsskrift | Internationale Neerlandistiek |
| Vol/bind | 48 |
| Nummer | 3 |
| Sider (fra-til) | 17-29 |
| Antal sider | 12 |
| ISSN | 0047-9276 |
| Status | Udgivet - 2010 |
Emneord
- Coster, Junius