Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction: Cultural Nationalism and the Rise of Dutch Studies
- 1 Matthijs Siegenbeek in Defence of Dutch
- 2 Barthold Hendrik Lulofs: A ‘Learned Dilettante’
- 3 Poet and Professor: Adam Simons
- 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!
- 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: Jeronimo de Vries
- Afterword: Gert-Jan Johannes
- Index
5 - Caught Between Propaganda and Science: Ulrich Gerhard Lauts, the Forgotten Father of Dutch Philology in Brussels
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 February 2021
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction: Cultural Nationalism and the Rise of Dutch Studies
- 1 Matthijs Siegenbeek in Defence of Dutch
- 2 Barthold Hendrik Lulofs: A ‘Learned Dilettante’
- 3 Poet and Professor: Adam Simons
- 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!
- 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: Jeronimo de Vries
- Afterword: Gert-Jan Johannes
- Index
Summary
Abstract
Ulrich Lauts (1787-1865) qualified as one of the forgotten fathers of Dutch philology in the Low Countries. As the very first professor of Dutch language and literature at the Brussels Museum for Sciences and Letters, he wrote a series of linguistic reference works on Dutch in the 1820s, including grammars and dictionaries. In addition, he developed various lecture series on the history of Dutch literature. Despite his scholarly training and sound expertise, however, Lauts's works is permeated with overt nationalist and political undertones. Like many of his contemporary philologists, his linguistic and literary studies were explicitly intended to support the nation building enterprise of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Using both primary sources and hitherto unexplored archive materials, this contribution shows how Lauts embodied the token nationalist philologer of his time.
Keywords: U.G. Lauts, Brussels, Dutch philology, nation building
Introduction
When the Dutch King Willem I installed the advanced study of Dutch grammar and literature in the Southern Low Countries, Ulrich Gerhard Lauts was singled out to man the first chair of Dutch philology in Brussels ever. In less than a decade, Lauts compiled a series of authoritative handbooks and dictionaries for language teaching purposes, developed one of the very first courses on Dutch literature, and secured himself a privileged position of silent advisor in the entourage of the highest state officials. With his combination of socio-political agency, scholarly excellence, and academic bravado, Lauts embodied the token nationalist philologer of his time. Standing by himself at the very cradle of the discipline in Brussels, moreover, his work and persona qualify for standard references in the annals of linguistic historiography.
And yet, Lauts soon became one of the many ‘unknown celebrities’ in the early history of Dutch philology – acknowledged but sadly underresearched. Compared to the scattered but important body of work on the philological protagonists of his day in the university towns of Leuven, Ghent, and Liege, Lauts's personality, work, and output are largely clad in shadows. While many of his publications are readily available in printed and electronic form , no comprehensive study of his work has been written to date.
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- Publisher: Amsterdam University PressPrint publication year: 2018