In exploring the birth of a Dutch identity between 1780 and 1830, this book integrates nationalism studies with literary and linguistic history by highlighting scholarly study of the Dutch language as a factor in the creation of the national identity. These early scholars promoted the Dutch language during a time of political upheaval, when citizens needed something to feel proud of. This book examines the impact individual agents had on a crucial stage in the Dutch nation-building process.
- Cover
- Table of Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Cultural Nationalism and the Rise of Dutch Studies
- Gijsbert Rutten and Ton van Kalmthout
- 1. Matthijs Siegenbeek in Defence of Dutch
- 2. Barthold Hendrik Lulofs
- 3. Poet and Professor
- 4. Johannes Kinker
- A Kantian Philosopher Teaching Dutch Language, Literature, and Eloquence
- 5. Caught Between Propaganda and Science
- Ulrich Gerhard Lauts, the Forgotten Father of Dutch Philology in Brussels
- 6. Pieter Weiland and his Nederduitsche Spraakkunst
- 7. Moralist of the Nation
- Johannes Henricus van der Palm
- 8. ‘I am Revived as a Belgian’
- The Work of Jan Frans Willems
- 9. Adriaan Kluit
- Back to the Sources!
- Lo van Driel and Nicoline van der Sijs
- 10. ‘Can Grander Skulls be Crowned?’
- Jacob van Dijk’s Posthumous Literary History
- 11. Hendrik van Wijn
- Pioneer of Historical Literary Studies in the Netherlands
- 12. The Founding Father of Dutch Literary History
- Afterword
- Index