Literacy in Everyday Life: Reading and Writing in Early Modern Dutch Diaries (Egodocuments and History Series)

Contents......Page 6
Foreword......Page 10
List of Illustrations......Page 12
List of Abbreviations and Archive Names......Page 14
I. Historical Research on Reading and Writing: From Book Ownership to the Use of Media......Page 16
The history of reading......Page 20
The history of reading as a research field
......Page 22
A different perspective: Reading within the framework of media history......Page 25
Research on historical readers......Page 30
Research on historical reading behaviour......Page 40
Egodocuments as source material......Page 47
Structure of the book......Page 53
II. Mirror of Literacy: Reading and Writing in the Diary (1624) of David Beck......Page 56
A German schoolmaster in the Dutch Republic......Page 58
'Mirror of my life'......Page 60
The conversation of the day......Page 64
Writing habits......Page 69
Conversation at a distance: correspondence......Page 70
Writing at school......Page 75
Income and expenditure in writing......Page 79
Paper poetry: the oeuvre of the poet David Beck......Page 80
Writing poetry and everyday life......Page 84
Publication in manuscript form......Page 87
'Mousing and rummaging': Beck's reading behaviour......Page 91
Handwritten reading......Page 92
Poetic taste: Beck's reading of printed texts......Page 94
Aging French poems and topical Dutch prose......Page 99
Beck's books in other sources......Page 101
'Nosing around' in bookshops or at the Binnenhof......Page 104
Books in everyday life......Page 108
Diverse ways of reading......Page 114
Reading in order to write......Page 120
Final remarks......Page 124
III. Aristocratic Literacy: Pieter Teding van Berkhout and his 'Journal' ( 1669–1712)......Page 128
The life of a gentleman of rank......Page 130
'Journal contenant mes occupations'......Page 135
Final remarks......Page 200
The aristocratisation of everyday conversation?......Page 141
Putting pen to paper......Page 146
Written contacts: correspondence and writing style......Page 147
Writing and family history......Page 151
Political notes......Page 154
Teding van Berkhout's library......Page 157
A historical taste......Page 160
Reading à la mode......Page 168
An unusual taste?......Page 170
Purchases and gift s......Page 175
The delights of country life......Page 179
Reading a book......Page 184
Reading for edifi cation and entertainment......Page 194
IV. Aural and Eyewitness Testimony: Reading, Writing, and Discussions of Current Aff airs in Jan de Boer's chronological journal (1747–1758)......Page 204
The life of an Amsterdam clerk......Page 206
The diary or 'journal' of Jan de Boer......Page 211
Historiography of the news......Page 219
Final remarks......Page 277
The flow of information: De Boer's news sources......Page 223
News in the street......Page 224
News on printed paper......Page 229
The news of 1755......Page 232
News from many sides......Page 234
Reading the news: printed matter in the diary......Page 237
Newspapers......Page 240
Newspaper reports in the diary......Page 244
Information and discussion in pamphlets......Page 249
News in pamphlets......Page 252
'Only an oortje': the distribution of pamphlets......Page 256
The anonymous author of the pamphlet 'Pro Patria'......Page 262
Pamphlet readers and their responses......Page 266
Other informative publications: ordinances, periodicals and prints......Page 271
News as history......Page 275
V. A Devout Reader and Writer: Literacy in Jacoba van Thiel's 'Account-Book of the Soul' (1767–1770)......Page 280
A life lived amid the clergy......Page 282
Daily register or 'account-book of the soul'......Page 287
Pious conversation......Page 296
A devout Christian woman with a pen......Page 303
Pious correspondence......Page 304
'Somewhat free from the earth': on keeping a diary......Page 308
A religious glutton......Page 312
Old or new?......Page 320
Readers of pious literature and readers of novels......Page 322
The parsonage library......Page 325
Relatives and women in Luchtmans' shop......Page 330
Purchases and gifts......Page 332
Reading and the daily struggle......Page 334
Daily books: Van Thiel's modes of reading......Page 338
Nourishing the soul......Page 347
Final remarks......Page 353
VI. Literacy in Everyday Life......Page 356
Speech, writing and reading......Page 357
Forms of reading behaviour......Page 359
Appendix I: Reading Behaviour in Figures......Page 364
Appendix II: Titles of Books Mentioned in the Diaries......Page 370
List of Sources......Page 396
Bibliography......Page 402
Index......Page 430