This thesis critically explores the literary representations of passivity in the sentimental novel, and examines how passivity relates to agency by conducting a close reading of Samuel Richardson’s...Show moreThis thesis critically explores the literary representations of passivity in the sentimental novel, and examines how passivity relates to agency by conducting a close reading of Samuel Richardson’s Pamela and Clarissa. It reveals that the concepts of passivity and agency are not inherently contradictory by demonstrating that the heroines of Richardson’s novels are able to enact agency through their passivity.Show less
This thesis critically explores the published scholarship on the concept of eighteenth-century chastity, and examines how chastity and agency function within the literature by conducting a...Show moreThis thesis critically explores the published scholarship on the concept of eighteenth-century chastity, and examines how chastity and agency function within the literature by conducting a historically-informed close reading of Richardson’s Pamela and Haywood’s Fantomina. It demonstrates that the literary representations of virtue in these novels reveal the construction of virginity as a performance of an intangible concept that is economically valuable, and highlight the fact that virginity is intrinsically linked to the concept of agency.Show less
Newspapers are published fast and often, even in the eighteenth century. Setting type by hand is a rather extensive process. Do we see traces of this complicated process in newspapers? And who...Show moreNewspapers are published fast and often, even in the eighteenth century. Setting type by hand is a rather extensive process. Do we see traces of this complicated process in newspapers? And who decides on the layout and typographical features of newspapers? Did typesetters copy typesetting habits from each other? Is it possible to see right away where a newspaper has been printed or do they all look similar? To find out more about printing processes and newspapers layouts during the late eighteenth century five French newspapers from three different countries were analyzed: the Gazette de Leyde, the Gazette d’Amsterdam, the Gazette de Nice, the Courrier d’Avignon and the Gazette de Berne. First, the historical background for all three countries and all five newspapers was researched, which is presented in chapter two and the first half of chapter three, before the printing practices in the Netherlands are introduced in the second half of chapter three. By looking more extensively at the manual written by David Wardenaar, Beschrijving der boekdrukkunst [Description of book printing], the process of printing newspapers became clearer. In chapter four the analysis of the five newspapers can be found, which helped distinguish whether there were typographical features that could be found in all five newspapers and whether the newspapers followed certain ‘trends’ or habits of other newspapers which they adopted.Show less
This thesis describes the ways in which hosting a salon opened up opportunities for eighteenth century French women, divided in practical opportunities and opportunities to challenge contemporary...Show moreThis thesis describes the ways in which hosting a salon opened up opportunities for eighteenth century French women, divided in practical opportunities and opportunities to challenge contemporary ideas about women.Show less
This thesis analyses the use of persuasive rhetorical styles within the political discourse that was present in the popular prints of early eighteenth century Scotland. Using Aristotle’s rhetorical...Show moreThis thesis analyses the use of persuasive rhetorical styles within the political discourse that was present in the popular prints of early eighteenth century Scotland. Using Aristotle’s rhetorical schemata of logos, pathos and ethos as a tool for textual analysis, this thesis demonstrates how Whig, Tory and Jacobite agents used the medium of popular print to endorse their own political ideologies as well as undermining those of their opponents from the Act of Union of 1707 until the Porteous affair of 1736. About twenty percent of the popular prints that constitute this thesis’ corpus of sources, were found to contain political notions corresponding to the contemporary party lines. Within these prints, Whigs were found to appeal to logos for factual representation and amplification, but primarily made use of the pathos of graciousness to portray themselves as righteous. The appeal to this emotion was supported by a virtuous ethos that focused on characterizations such as goodness, honesty and grace. Contrarily, Tories and Jacobites hardly made use of logos but instead appealed to a range of emotions within the concept of pathos, such as gentleness and pity, and ascribed themselves an ethos that included bravery, valance and loyalty. In undermining the opposition, both Whig as well as Tory and Jacobite prints vilify the opponent through the pathos of anger, hatred, enmity and contempt. However, it is in the undermining where ethos becomes the main means of persuasion. Tories are described as incompetent, Jacobites are characterized as barbarous fools, and Whigs as conceiting and self-serving politicians. Consequently, Whigs typically sought to portray themselves as morally and ethically superior to their opponents and their readership, whereas Jacobites seemingly sought to identify with their readership more, emphasizing how everyone was suffering under the Whig government. This thesis outlines the persuasive content of a political discourse that was present within a type of print available to both high and low culture. With this, it argues that political discussion was not strictly reserved for intelligentsia, although it also sustains the assumption that ephemeral print was generally used as a trivial news agent. Ass well as this, this thesis provides two relative novelties. First, it constructs an explicit and restricting definition of the concept 'popular', unlike most academic publications on this concept that apply the term without restrictions. Second, it offers a series of perspectives on the content of a previously unstudied corpus of ephemeral prints published in early eighteenth century Scotland, which is both a period and area that has been understudied with regards to the role of politics in popular print culture.Show less
This edition elaborately discusses the letters between London based nurseryman William Malcolm (d.1798) and David van Royen (1727-1799), professor of Botany and the director of the Hortus Botanicus...Show moreThis edition elaborately discusses the letters between London based nurseryman William Malcolm (d.1798) and David van Royen (1727-1799), professor of Botany and the director of the Hortus Botanicus in Leiden, written between 1768-1773. The research focuses on how this correspondence gives insight in the study of botany in Leiden and the development of its botanical garden, the international plant trade and the extensive network of people involved, and the close relationship between science and commerce in the second half of the eighteenth century.Show less
This edition contains 26 letters from the Doesburg Letter Collection (1777 -1822) focusing on its female correspondents. The letters give an exceptional insight into the personal lives of men and...Show moreThis edition contains 26 letters from the Doesburg Letter Collection (1777 -1822) focusing on its female correspondents. The letters give an exceptional insight into the personal lives of men and women from all layers of the population in a time in Dutch history that was marked by almost constant war and the subsequent political, social and economic changes that came with these conflicts. Many of the letters are signed by women, which make the letter collection a rare source, since not many writings have been preserved from women living in this period, especially not from the lower class. For this reason, this edition focuses entirely on the female correspondence of the collection. The letters for this edition were chosen based on their geographic variation in order to give a broad picture not only of the lives of women from Doesburg, but from all over the Netherlands in the regarding period. To place the letters into context, this edition includes: an overview of the history of the Netherlands and Doesburg in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, of reading and writing in the Low Countries, of the position of women in the Netherlands, and provides a sketch of the Dutch postal system between 1777-1822.Show less
