Languages of Early Modern Manuscript Culture in Bohemia

Alena A. Fidlerová

„Yet for at least two centuries the procreative pen and its many different and individual offspring complemented and at times rivalled the pressʼs more uniform products.“

(Henry R. Woudhuysen, 1996)

Printing and the culture of printed books…

Manuscript culture after the advent of print

• Closer to orality than print• Functions primarily on the local level

• Strengthens family and community bonds and the local identity

• Can defend group interests (e.g. religious sectarians)

• (Mostly) not subject to censorship• Reflects more precisely the language choices of users

Scribes / authors• elite

– Renaissance poets– conservatives with antiquarian interests– Students– Monks– aristocrats…

• non-elite (socially disadvantaged)– regional (esp. from rural areas)– lower class– religious sectarians– women

Elite culture popular culture

16th c. 19th c.

Scribal publication (manuscript publication)

• Manuscript, but not private

• Harald Love (1993):– authorial publication

– entrepreneurial publication•professional scribes (scriptoria)

– user publication

LINDA, Jaromír; STICH, Alexandr; FIDLEROVÁ, Alena; ŠULCKOVÁ, Martina: Repertorium rukopisů 17. a 18. století z muzejních sbírek v Čechách. Díl I/1, 2, A–J. Praha: Karolinum, 2003, 779 s. ISBN 80-246-0610-0. FIDLEROVÁ, Alena; BEKEŠOVÁ, Martina: Repertorium rukopisů 17. a 18. století z muzejních sbírek v Čechách. Díl II/1, 2, K–O. Praha: Karolinum, 2007. 843 s. ISBN 978-80-246-1459-5.

• Bohemia• Museum

collections• 17th-18th

century• all languages

and all genres• Elite culture

slightly underrepresented

• So far published parts:• 94 museums• 3298

manuscripts

Manuscripts in Repertorium according to the language (in %)

CzechGermanLatinCzech-GermanCzech-LatinGerman-LatinCzech-German-Latin

Manuscripts in Repertorium according to the language 1Language(s) Absolut

e number

%

Czech 1362 44,88German 1078 35,52Latin 307 10,12Czech-German 63 2,08Czech-Latin 60 1,98German-Latin 89 2,93Czech-German-Latin 22 0,72French 10 0,33

Manuscripts in Repertorium according to the language 2Language(s) Absolu

te number

%

Italian 3 0,09Hebrew 6 0,19Slovak 5 0,16Old Church Slavonic

3 0,09

German-French 4 0,13Latin-French 2 0,07Latin-Italian 2 0,07

Manuscripts in Repertorium according to the language 3

46.75

38.97

14.27

CzechGermanLatin

Czech and German in Czech lands in 1930s

Czech and German prayer books

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

3 4 629

45 44

91

8 16 19

31

37 48

57

GermanCzech

Disparate development: Languages in dated prayer books from

1731-1800

German and Czech prayer books

  German

% Czech %

Broumov 11 100 0 0Česká Lípa

45 100 0 0

Děčín 16 100 0 0České Budějovice

44 73 16 27

Jindřichův Hradec

18 44 23 56

Kladno 4 40 6 60

Hradec Králové

9 25 25 75

Kolín 4 27 11 73Chrudim 2 13 14 87Chotěboř 0 0 10 100

Culture difference: Genres only in Czech (plus Latin)

• Rorate (Advent Mass hymns and songs)

Culture difference: Genres only in Czech (plus Latin)

• Sung Passion of Christ (Palm Sunday, Good Friday)

Culture difference: Genres only in Czech (plus Latin)

• Funeral songs

Hierarchy of languages – plurilingual text

• Miscellany of Latin, German, Greek, and French printed and manuscript texts:– „Polyanthea Nova Rara & Invia Seu Dictorum maximo [!] memorabiliu[m], locoru[m] insignium, Exemploru[m], apothegmatu[m] seu doctrinarum Politico-moraliu[m], emblematu[m], lem[m]atu[m], similitudinu[m] atq[ue] Sententiaru[m] graecoru[m] vel Latinoru[m] celebrioru[m]; Axiomatu[m] tu[m] Iuris, tu[m] aliaru[m] scie[n]tiaru[m] et artiu[m] peno [!] omniu[m] Congeries plenissima, Messis uberrima, ac Promptuariu[m] locupletissimum. Ex Libris et M[anuscripti]s diversorum idiomatu[m] cum sacris tu[m] profanis, tu[m] vetustiorib[us] tu[m] rece[n]tiorib[us] Togatoru[m], sagatorum, Patru[m], Philologoru[m], Ictoru[m], & Medicorum erutum et collectum pro conversandi arte, et vitae Com[m]uni, ad feliciter nunc et tunc vivendu[m], virtutes implantandas, risu[m] movendu[m], pungendu[m], serijs jocu[m] miscendu[m] in prosa et metro ta[m] lectu jucundum, qua[m] fructu foecundum. Recessit Sylva Epitaphorum, cum appendice lusuum et salium urbanorum. Studio, industria, ac Labore Fr[ancisci] Waizenbek [1]732.“

Hierarchy of languages – title and text

• Czech sermons:– „Conciones christiano=Catholicae breves, intellectu faciles, Sententiis S[anctae] Scripturae, et S[anctorum] Patrum Roboratae, Deo cor movente (nam Solus Deus potest Sine Doctoribus perfecti [?] imbuere nam Doctores Sine Deo nihil pro¤ciunt, illi foris tantum agunt, Sed Deus corda instruit et illuminat. Thom[ae] Kemp[ensis]) fructuosae, Rudi Plebeculae dictae, et humili stylo ac calamo a me P[atre] Stephano Brich S[acri] ord[inis] Cis[terciensis] M[onaste]rij B[eatae] V[irginis] M[ariae] de Sancta-Corona Professo Cžernicij aliquot Annorum Spatio indigno Curato conscriptae A[nn]o 1774. […] Pars Prima.“

• German lectures:– „Materia de Matrimonio Ex Jure Ecclesiastico Privato. Juxta Jllustrissimum, ac Doctissimum D[omi]num D[omi]num Josephum Joannem Pehem, ejusdem Studii Professorem publicum in Universitate Vindobonensi 1795.“

• Czech interrogation record:–„Examen Matthiae Haczaperka Subditi dominij dobržissensis habitum 4. [Octo]bris A[nn]o 1725.“

Hierarchy of languages - bilingual titles

• „Materia=Medica oder die Arzney mittel Lehre Durch Anordnung von Johann Gottlieb Wolstein der Arzney und Wund Arzney Doctor, Director, und Professor der Pracktischen Vieharzeney in den Kais=Königs=Thierspital. Erkläret von H[err]n. Mengmann Apothecker allda. de Anno [1]785.“

• „ELEMENTA ARITHMETICAE Practicae Generalis Neb Počatkowe vměňj početnyho hlawnjho. K snadnemu prospěchu, a užjwaňj nowotnjm učencum vměňj početňjho nabytj žadostjwym w Cžeskem gazyku na swětlo uwedene w Kralowem Hradcy nad Labem a Josepho Pyllarž A[rtium] L[iberalium] et Praelectionum Academicorum in Universitate Pragensi Auditore.“

• „SPECULATIVA ARTIS MOLITORIAE PRAXIS. Neb Aučjnlywe Ržemesla mlynařskyho Cwičenj, s přypogenym gak Auduw mlegnskych, tak wodnjch, wnjtřnjch, y zewnjtřnjch zakladuw, a spolu na njch stogicych Stroguw wiobrazenjm. Podle Mathematickyho Umenj spořadane.“

Thank you for your attention.

alena.fidlerova@ff.cuni.cz