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Ideas About Women in the Earliest Printed Dutch Vernacular Books Ideas about Women in the earliest printed Dutch vernacular Books. Saints' Lives, Exempla, and their female Readers Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Catharina Theodora Hendrika van Dort University College London, 1998 Page 1 ProQuest Number: U642357 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest. ProQuest U642357 Published by ProQuest LLC(2015). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Abstract In the first instance, the thesis explores ideas about women published in incunables (ca. 1450-1501) printed in the Low Countries. The sources under consideration are female saints' Lives and exempla printed in the Dutch vernacular. In chapter 1, each source is introduced and scrutinised for its potential contribution to this topic. Since the sources appeared in the vernacular and published, they were available to lay readers. The second aim of the thesis is to demonstrate that women were among them. In chapter 2, various elements of women's involvement in Netherlandish book culture are examined. There is enough evidence to suggest that middle class female readers were erudite and interested enough to seek access to the incunables. Both genres of saints'Lives and exempla, although diverse, contain similar ideas about women. These ideas are commonly expressed within the framework of the woman's marital state (virgin, wife or widow) or as mother or daughter. Also included are ideas on the female in spiritual roles (for instance, as bride of Christ). In chapters 3 and 4, these textual images are analysed in depth as topoi. To indicate to what extent the ideas, most of which predate the fifteenth century, were still valid, a link has been established between ideas and the relevance for the female recipient. An attempt has been made to relate these ideas to aspects of social reality of late medieval laywomen. The thesis infers that many ideas about women within the family were prescriptive and intended for admiration and emulation. The thesis contributes to many fields of historical inquiry. Although the core of the thesis is embedded in social history (which incorporates the history of ideas and attitudes), elements of the history of the book, the history of the Low Countries, and women's history are broached as well. Page 2 Table of Contents Abstract ...................................................................................................................... 2 Table of Contents.......................................................................................................3 Acknowledgements....................................................................................................6 Abbreviations .............................................................................................................7 Notes on translation and foliation .............................................................................. 8 1 Introduction to the sources........................................................................................9 1.1 Purpose of the thesis..........................................................................................9 1.2 Introduction to the genre of the exemplum................................................... 11 1.2.1 The exemplum collections........................................................17 1.2. 1.1 De ludo scachorum [Dutch] Oat scaecspel, by Jacobus de Cessolis.........................................................................................18 1.2. 1.2 Kaetspel gemoraliseert, by Jan van den Berghe ..........................20 1.2. 1.3 Historia septem sapientium Romae [Dutch] Historié van die seven wise mannen van Romen ..................................................22 1.2. 1.4 Gesta Romanorum [Dutch] Die geesten of geschiedenis van Romen ...........................................................................................24 1.2. 1.5 Aesopus, Vita et Fabulae [Dutch] Vita, hystorien ende fabulen... 26 1.2. 1.6 Dialogue creaturarum moralisatus [Dutch] Twespraec der creaturen .......................................................................................27 1.2. 1.7 Speculum sapientiae [Dutch] Parabolen, by Cyrillus ................... 29 1.2. 1.8 Bonum universale de proprietatibus apum [Dutch] Der bienboeck, by Thomas Cantipratensis ..........................................30 1.2. 1.9 Seelentrost [Dutch] Der sielentroest .............................................32 1.2. 1.10 Boec van der biechten .................................................................. 34 1.2. 1.11 Ars moriendi "Quamvis secundum philosophum tertio Ethicorum ..." [Dutch] Dat sterfboeck ............................................35 1.2. 1.12 Miraculen Onser Liever Vrouwen ................................................. 38 1.2. 1.13 Speculum humanae salvationis [Dutch] Spiegel der menselijker behoudenisse ............................................................ 40 1.2. 1.14 Ob einem Mann sei zu nehmen ein ehelich Weib Oder nicht [Dutch] Van den Echten state, by Albertus de Eyb ...................... 42 1.2. 1.15 Vitae sanctorum patrum, s/ve vitas patrum [Dutch] Van den /ever?der heiligen vaderen, by Hieronymus..................................43 1.3 Introduction to the genre of female saints' Lives............................................. 44 1.3.1 The female saints' Lives.............................................. 50 1.3.1.1 Legenda aurea sanctorum, s/ve Lombardica historia [Dutch] Passionael, Winter- ende Somerstuc, by Jacobus de Voragine.. 50 1.3.1.2 Historié, getijden en exempelen van St. Anna and Historié van St. Anna, by Jan van Denemarken ...............................................53 1.3.1.3 Legenda beatissimae virgin is Barbarae [Dutch] Die Historié van Sinte Barbara met die miraculen ............................................55 Page 3 1.3.1.4 The legend of Bridget of Sweden. The legend of Catherine of Vadstena, by Peter of Alvastra .....................................................57 1.3.1.5 St. Catharina de Alexandria [Dutch] Sinte Katherinen legende... 59 1.3.1.6 Legende en leven van Sinte Clara, by Thomas de Celano .......... 60 1.3.1.7 Leven ende passie van St. Kunera ...............................................62 1.3.1.8 Leven van LiedwiJ, die maghet van Schiedam, by Johannes Gerlach......................................................................................... 65 1.4 Conclusion....................................................................................................67 2 Women and the media ....................................................................................... 68 2.1 Interpreting medieval ideas about women ................................................... 69 2.1.1 Historiography...................................................................................... 69 2.1.2 Medieval ideas about women ............................................................... 70 2.1.3 Male authors and female readers ......................................................... 74 2.2 The printing press......................................................................................... 78 2.2.1 Continuation of female interest............................................................. 78 2.2.2 The printing press as medium.............................................................. 83 2.2.3 Female authors in print......................................................................... 88 2.2.4 Female printers and booksellers.......................................................... 89 2.3 Influence of the modern devotion................................................................ 92 2.4 Some medieval attitudes towards the word ................................................. 99 2.5 The urban environment ............................................................................... 101 2.5.1 Saints' Lives and exempla as urban literature .................................... 101 2.5.2 Contemporary ideas on women within the city................................. 107 2.5.3 Literate social classes .........................................................................110 2.5.4 The education system.........................................................................112 2.6 The woman as reader ..................................................................................122 2.6.1 Female literacy ....................................................................................122 2.6.2 Attitudes towards female literacy ........................................................ 125 2.6.3 Vernacular readership .........................................................................127 2.6.4 Reading habits ....................................................................................131 2.6.5 Access to books ..................................................................................137 2.6.6 Secular women owning Dutch vernacular incunables: pertinent examples..............................................................................................140
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