Michiel de Swaen
Encyclopedia
Michiel de Swaen was a surgeon
and a rederijker
from the Southern Netherlands
.
education, acquired chiefly through theatre
, as in those days theatre was the foundation of a pedagogical
education
. After six years of schooling - three of which with a surgeon and three at an unknown place - De Swaen settled in Dunkirk (Duinkerke) as a surgeon and barber, at the same time being committed to the literary
life in this city. Although in those days there were already 14 surgeons active in Dunkirk, De Swaen must have found enough patient
s as he complained in an occasional poem about the limited time he could spend on poetry
.
and the events of that time also considerably affected De Swaen’s own life. While the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands witnessed its Golden Age
, the Southern Netherlands
suffered war and misery under Spanish occupation
. As the Protestants fled from the Catholic
Southern Netherlands
, then under Spanish rule, the once prospering port town of Antwerp started to decline as a metropolis and this to the benefit of towns and cities in Holland, like Amsterdam
, 's-Gravenhage, Rotterdam
and Utrecht
.
In 1662, De Swaen being eight years old, England
sold the Dutch
city
of Dunkirk to King Louis XIV of France
. A year later, French
became the mandatory formal language
, which forced public life in this part of Flanders
to take place entirely in French; since the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts
it was illegal in France
to speak any other languages than French. The French influence was nonetheless not felt at once; a significant part of the population continued to speak Dutch
till the end of the 19th century. Moreover, all works De Swaen wrote were written in Dutch. It is only after 1700 that performances in the playhouses in Dunkirk were held exclusively French.
What De Swaen might have thought about the French occupation can indirectly be understood by reading the sonnet
in which he looks back with unconcealed nostalgia on a journey in the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands; he visited Rotterdam
, where he lodged at his son‘s place. De Swaen seems to have preferred the Dutch standards and values above those that his occupied country had to offer under French rule; there is no doubt about that after reading the sonnet aen den Heer Van Heel:
From: De zedighe doot van Carel den Vijfen; aen den heer Van Heel, my onbekent, over syne clacht, op myn vertrek, uyt Hollant, Michiel de Swaen
Michiel de Swaen wrote in the Dutch standard language of that time, the one all Dutchmen can understand (alle Nederlanders konnen begrypen) as his friend, the rhetorician and printer
Pieter Labus did put it into words. The admiration for the lost native country was a constant in the Dutch literature in that part of Flanders
that had been occupied by the French and even today still is. De Swaen was probably the first who shaped this nostalgia into literature, in which shape it has been preserved in documents from the 18th century.
With this burdensome past in mind, even today France is not delighted with the heritage of a Dutch author like De Swaen. For many French Flemish citizens De Swaen is a symbol of their rich cultural past that helped define their actual identity. With the Belgian poet Guido Gezelle
, he became one of the leading writers in the region on both sides of the frontier; the actual Belgian province of West Flanders and the part of Flanders under French occupation. He is also the representative par excellence of Dutch literature at a high level in the occupied part of Flanders.
in the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands in the 17th century. Some of the most high ranking works in 17th century Dutch literature were published in 1654, the year in which De Swaen was born, and in 1655: Trintje Cornelis by Constantijn Huygens
, Lucifer by Joost van den Vondel
and Alle de wercken (complete works) by Jacob Cats
.
and Brabant
. The rhetoricians were influenced by humanism
and by the Counter-Reformation
. Organised within a chamber of rhetoric, they devoted themselves to literature. In a way, they can be compared to the German
"Meistersinger".
After the French had banished the Dutch language from public life in the occupied parts of Flanders
, the chambers of rhetoric were left as the last and sole institution of Dutch culture.
Michiel de Swaen, as a rhetorician, was befriended by rhetoricians from the region coming from cities such as Diksmuide
and Ieper. He became a prince in 1687 at the Dunkirk chamber. Through the chambers of rhetoric, rhetoricians such as De Swaen kept in touch with the part over de schreve of the Southern Netherlands
under Habsburg rule, even after the French occupation. For instance, in 1688 De Swaen was a guest in Veurne
of the chamber the Kruys-Broeders. In 1700, De Swaen participated in a dramatics competition, called the “landjuweel“, organised by the Bruges
chamber of rhetoric, the Drie Santinnen. To the amazement of many, he did not win the competition. His fellow men convinced him to write to the Bruges chamber of rhetoric to prove to them that they had made a mistake. Disappointed for only having obtained the second prize and facing the existing standards of the Bruges competition, he attempted to formulate a poetical theory Neder-duitsche digtkonde of rym-konst, which he made after the prototype of that by Aristotle
.
By the end of his life, De Swaen pretended that he only stayed with the chamber of rhetoric as a member to keep in touch with his friends. Nonetheless he took his work as a rhetorician seriously, taking Vondel and others as an example.
De Swaen withdrew to a certain extent from his occupation with the chamber of rhetoric on the grounds of his Christian belief, although he had often been stimulated by his friends - the rhetoricians. And even though he had eagerly applied himself to the chamber of rhetoric in his childhood, he turned down all proposals to publish his work. Only the publication of Andronicus, a translation of a work by Jean Galbert de Campistron, had been granted by De Swaen in 1707. His translation of Le Cid by Corneille
was published in Dunkirk by printer Pieter Labus without his approval in 1694. Most of his works were only published after his life, in Bruges
or in Ghent
, cities in the Southern Netherlands ruled by the Habsburgs. Many of his writings were preserved in the abbey of Sint-Winoksbergen
, until the abbey was destroyed under the French Revolution
. Therefore it is uncertain today whether we know all of De Swaen’s output.
De Swaen’s poems were often inspired by religion and have presumably been influenced by humanist authors such as Jacob Cats
and Joost van den Vondel
. His Catharina was obviously influenced by Vondel’s Maegdhen. After all, the Belgian Flemish poet Guido Gezelle
later called De Swaen the Vondel of Duinkerke.
De Swaen’s theoretical study Neder-duitsche digtkonde of rym-konst proves his erudition
, especially his knowledge of works by 17th century French poet-playwright Pierre Corneille
and Aristotle
’s Poetics.
De Swaen’s religious convictions and his dedication to the Counter-Reformation are illustrated in works such as Het leven en de dood van Jesus Christus (The Life and Death of Jesus Christ). In this, preceded by Anton van Duinkerke, De Swaen followed the example of the moralising ‘’Diktatiek’’ by Poirtiers, which inspired Cats too. In addition, he wrote two tragedies Martelaarspelen or Treurspelen (tragedies about the martyrs Catharina and Mauritius).
De Swaen also showed an interest in European history and wrote an historical play De zedighe doot van Carel den Vijfden (about the death of Charles V). His texts dedicated to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
, prove his attachment to the Netherlands and his religious conviction; he depicts Charles V as a true Christian hero. De Swaen’s most important work, De gecroondse leerse, which he himself described as a clucht-spel (comedy), is based upon an anecdote about Charles V and was tremendously popular.
De Swaen also wrote some occasional poems.
Although De Swaen wrote in the Dutch standard language of his time, he was no stranger to classic and French authors. He handed over his Dutch translation of Pierre Corneille
’s Le Cid to Barentin, an administrator of the French king
Louis XIV. He also translated Jean Galbert de Campistron‘s Andronicus into Dutch. Many of his works show the influence of French classicism
, such as De gecroonde leerse, split up into five parts and formulated in alexandrine
s.
is a Christian tragedy
about Saint Catherine of Alexandria in which the most important subject is the conflict between paganism
and Christianity
: the martyr Catherine of Alexandria was executed by order of the Roman
emperor Maxentius
. This work has a special place in Dutch literature as the genre it seems to belong to was almost non-existent in the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands.
for a family feast to take place that evening. Emperor Charles V is watching everything from a distance. Keen on the appetising capon, he commands his servant to follow Jacquelijn. She shows him where she lives. Charles decides to go there on his own. To get an invitation, the emperor offers wine to everyone. A day later, Teunis the shoemaker is summoned by the emperor. The rather worried poor Teunis goes to the Court where he recognises the generous guest of last evening. Charles V then appoints Teunis as his imperial shoemaker.
De gecroonde leerse is De Swaen’s only comedy
and one of the most important works in Dutch literature
. The work is played as well in the Southern as the Northern Netherlands and even in South Africa
. Although the author describes the work as a clucht-spel (comedy), it displays nevertheless also features of French classic comedy
.
Remark: De gecroonde leerse has been put entirely on the website of the digital Library of Dutch Literature, the “Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren“: De gecroonde leerse.
during the 17th century. Today, together with Maria Petyt and Edmond de Coussemaker
, he is one of the most prominent representatives of Dutch culture in France
; Guido Gezelle
called him the Vondel of Duinkerke.
, there is a Michiel de Swaen Square.
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
and a rederijker
Chamber of rhetoric
Chambers of rhetoric were dramatic societies in the Low Countries. Their members are called Rederijkers , from the french word 'rhétoricien', and during the 15th and 16th centuries were mainly interested in dramas and lyrics...
from the Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain , Austria and annexed by France...
.
Childhood, schooling and professional life
Michiel de Swaen studied at the college of the Jesuits in his native town, where he probably got a humanistHumanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
education, acquired chiefly through theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, as in those days theatre was the foundation of a pedagogical
Pedagogy
Pedagogy is the study of being a teacher or the process of teaching. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction....
education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
. After six years of schooling - three of which with a surgeon and three at an unknown place - De Swaen settled in Dunkirk (Duinkerke) as a surgeon and barber, at the same time being committed to the literary
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
life in this city. Although in those days there were already 14 surgeons active in Dunkirk, De Swaen must have found enough patient
Patient
A patient is any recipient of healthcare services. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, advanced practice registered nurse, veterinarian, or other health care provider....
s as he complained in an occasional poem about the limited time he could spend on poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
.
The occupation of Dunkirk
The 17th century was a decisive period in the history of the Low CountriesLow Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
and the events of that time also considerably affected De Swaen’s own life. While the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands witnessed its Golden Age
Golden Age
The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology and legend and refers to the first in a sequence of four or five Ages of Man, in which the Golden Age is first, followed in sequence, by the Silver, Bronze, and Iron Ages, and then the present, a period of decline...
, the Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain , Austria and annexed by France...
suffered war and misery under Spanish occupation
Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain , Austria and annexed by France...
. As the Protestants fled from the Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain , Austria and annexed by France...
, then under Spanish rule, the once prospering port town of Antwerp started to decline as a metropolis and this to the benefit of towns and cities in Holland, like Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, 's-Gravenhage, Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
and Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
.
In 1662, De Swaen being eight years old, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
sold the Dutch
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
of Dunkirk to King Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
. A year later, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
became the mandatory formal language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
, which forced public life in this part of Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
to take place entirely in French; since the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts
Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts
The Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts is an extensive piece of reform legislation signed into law by Francis I of France on August 10, 1539 in the city of Villers-Cotterêts....
it was illegal in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to speak any other languages than French. The French influence was nonetheless not felt at once; a significant part of the population continued to speak Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
till the end of the 19th century. Moreover, all works De Swaen wrote were written in Dutch. It is only after 1700 that performances in the playhouses in Dunkirk were held exclusively French.
What De Swaen might have thought about the French occupation can indirectly be understood by reading the sonnet
Sonnet
A sonnet is one of several forms of poetry that originate in Europe, mainly Provence and Italy. A sonnet commonly has 14 lines. The term "sonnet" derives from the Occitan word sonet and the Italian word sonetto, both meaning "little song" or "little sound"...
in which he looks back with unconcealed nostalgia on a journey in the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands; he visited Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, where he lodged at his son‘s place. De Swaen seems to have preferred the Dutch standards and values above those that his occupied country had to offer under French rule; there is no doubt about that after reading the sonnet aen den Heer Van Heel:
| Original Dutch sonnet | Approximate English translation of the sonnet: |
|---|---|
|
|
From: De zedighe doot van Carel den Vijfen; aen den heer Van Heel, my onbekent, over syne clacht, op myn vertrek, uyt Hollant, Michiel de Swaen
Michiel de Swaen wrote in the Dutch standard language of that time, the one all Dutchmen can understand (alle Nederlanders konnen begrypen) as his friend, the rhetorician and printer
Printer (publisher)
In publishing, printers are both companies providing printing services and individuals who directly operate printing presses. With the invention of the moveable type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg around 1450, printing—and printers—proliferated throughout Europe.Today, printers are found...
Pieter Labus did put it into words. The admiration for the lost native country was a constant in the Dutch literature in that part of Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
that had been occupied by the French and even today still is. De Swaen was probably the first who shaped this nostalgia into literature, in which shape it has been preserved in documents from the 18th century.
With this burdensome past in mind, even today France is not delighted with the heritage of a Dutch author like De Swaen. For many French Flemish citizens De Swaen is a symbol of their rich cultural past that helped define their actual identity. With the Belgian poet Guido Gezelle
Guido Gezelle
Guido Pieter Theodorus Josephus Gezelle was an influential Flemish language writer and poet and a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium.- Life :...
, he became one of the leading writers in the region on both sides of the frontier; the actual Belgian province of West Flanders and the part of Flanders under French occupation. He is also the representative par excellence of Dutch literature at a high level in the occupied part of Flanders.
Literature in the Netherlands
Dutch literature experienced its Golden AgeGolden Age
The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology and legend and refers to the first in a sequence of four or five Ages of Man, in which the Golden Age is first, followed in sequence, by the Silver, Bronze, and Iron Ages, and then the present, a period of decline...
in the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands in the 17th century. Some of the most high ranking works in 17th century Dutch literature were published in 1654, the year in which De Swaen was born, and in 1655: Trintje Cornelis by Constantijn Huygens
Constantijn Huygens
Constantijn Huygens , was a Dutch Golden Age poet and composer. He was secretary to two Princes of Orange: Frederick Henry and William II, and the father of the scientist Christiaan Huygens.-Biography:...
, Lucifer by Joost van den Vondel
Joost van den Vondel
Joost van den Vondel was a Dutch writer and playwright. He is considered the most prominent Dutch poet and playwright of the 17th century. His plays are the ones from that period that are still most frequently performed, and his epic Joannes de Boetgezant , on the life of John the Baptist, has...
and Alle de wercken (complete works) by Jacob Cats
Jacob Cats
Jacob Cats was a Dutch poet, humorist, jurist and politician. He is most famous for his emblem books.-Early years:...
.
Chambers of Rhetoric
The movement of the rhetoricians came into existence as a kind of cultural social club in the 15th century: most rhetoricians in the Southern Netherlands in the 17th century originated from FlandersFlanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
and Brabant
Duchy of Brabant
The Duchy of Brabant was a historical region in the Low Countries. Its territory consisted essentially of the three modern-day Belgian provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Antwerp, the Brussels-Capital Region and most of the present-day Dutch province of North Brabant.The Flag of...
. The rhetoricians were influenced by humanism
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
and by the Counter-Reformation
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation was the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort, composed of four major elements:#Ecclesiastical or...
. Organised within a chamber of rhetoric, they devoted themselves to literature. In a way, they can be compared to the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
"Meistersinger".
After the French had banished the Dutch language from public life in the occupied parts of Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, the chambers of rhetoric were left as the last and sole institution of Dutch culture.
De Swaen as a rhetorician
By profession, De Swaen was a surgeon; he also formed part of the judicature. But he was also a member of the Dunkirk chamber of rhetoric, the Carsouwe, also known as Sint Michiel (Saint Michael was their patron saint); the chamber of the Kassouwieren (different ways of spelling for instance De Kersauwe are found; the word descends from the Dutch kersouw or daisy).Michiel de Swaen, as a rhetorician, was befriended by rhetoricians from the region coming from cities such as Diksmuide
Diksmuide
Diksmuide is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Diksmuide proper and the former communes of Beerst, Esen, Kaaskerke, Keiem, Lampernisse, Leke, Nieuwkapelle, Oostkerke, Oudekapelle, Pervijze, Sint-Jacobs-Kapelle,...
and Ieper. He became a prince in 1687 at the Dunkirk chamber. Through the chambers of rhetoric, rhetoricians such as De Swaen kept in touch with the part over de schreve of the Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain , Austria and annexed by France...
under Habsburg rule, even after the French occupation. For instance, in 1688 De Swaen was a guest in Veurne
Veurne
Veurne is a city and municipality in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Veurne proper and the settlements of Avekapelle, Booitshoeke, Bulskamp, De Moeren, Eggewaartskapelle, Houtem, Steenkerke, Vinkem, Wulveringem, and Zoutenaaie.-Origins in the 15th...
of the chamber the Kruys-Broeders. In 1700, De Swaen participated in a dramatics competition, called the “landjuweel“, organised by the Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
chamber of rhetoric, the Drie Santinnen. To the amazement of many, he did not win the competition. His fellow men convinced him to write to the Bruges chamber of rhetoric to prove to them that they had made a mistake. Disappointed for only having obtained the second prize and facing the existing standards of the Bruges competition, he attempted to formulate a poetical theory Neder-duitsche digtkonde of rym-konst, which he made after the prototype of that by Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
.
By the end of his life, De Swaen pretended that he only stayed with the chamber of rhetoric as a member to keep in touch with his friends. Nonetheless he took his work as a rhetorician seriously, taking Vondel and others as an example.
Works
Pierre Corneille
Pierre Corneille was a French tragedian who was one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine...
was published in Dunkirk by printer Pieter Labus without his approval in 1694. Most of his works were only published after his life, in Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
or in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, cities in the Southern Netherlands ruled by the Habsburgs. Many of his writings were preserved in the abbey of Sint-Winoksbergen
Bergues
Bergues is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It is situated to the south of Dunkirk and from the Belgian border. Locally it is referred to as "the other Bruges in Flanders"...
, until the abbey was destroyed under the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. Therefore it is uncertain today whether we know all of De Swaen’s output.
De Swaen’s poems were often inspired by religion and have presumably been influenced by humanist authors such as Jacob Cats
Jacob Cats
Jacob Cats was a Dutch poet, humorist, jurist and politician. He is most famous for his emblem books.-Early years:...
and Joost van den Vondel
Joost van den Vondel
Joost van den Vondel was a Dutch writer and playwright. He is considered the most prominent Dutch poet and playwright of the 17th century. His plays are the ones from that period that are still most frequently performed, and his epic Joannes de Boetgezant , on the life of John the Baptist, has...
. His Catharina was obviously influenced by Vondel’s Maegdhen. After all, the Belgian Flemish poet Guido Gezelle
Guido Gezelle
Guido Pieter Theodorus Josephus Gezelle was an influential Flemish language writer and poet and a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium.- Life :...
later called De Swaen the Vondel of Duinkerke.
De Swaen’s theoretical study Neder-duitsche digtkonde of rym-konst proves his erudition
Erudition
The word erudition came into Middle English from Latin. A scholar is erudite when instruction and reading followed by digestion and contemplation have effaced all rudeness , that is to say smoothed away all raw, untrained incivility...
, especially his knowledge of works by 17th century French poet-playwright Pierre Corneille
Pierre Corneille
Pierre Corneille was a French tragedian who was one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine...
and Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
’s Poetics.
De Swaen’s religious convictions and his dedication to the Counter-Reformation are illustrated in works such as Het leven en de dood van Jesus Christus (The Life and Death of Jesus Christ). In this, preceded by Anton van Duinkerke, De Swaen followed the example of the moralising ‘’Diktatiek’’ by Poirtiers, which inspired Cats too. In addition, he wrote two tragedies Martelaarspelen or Treurspelen (tragedies about the martyrs Catharina and Mauritius).
De Swaen also showed an interest in European history and wrote an historical play De zedighe doot van Carel den Vijfden (about the death of Charles V). His texts dedicated to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
, prove his attachment to the Netherlands and his religious conviction; he depicts Charles V as a true Christian hero. De Swaen’s most important work, De gecroondse leerse, which he himself described as a clucht-spel (comedy), is based upon an anecdote about Charles V and was tremendously popular.
De Swaen also wrote some occasional poems.
Although De Swaen wrote in the Dutch standard language of his time, he was no stranger to classic and French authors. He handed over his Dutch translation of Pierre Corneille
Pierre Corneille
Pierre Corneille was a French tragedian who was one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine...
’s Le Cid to Barentin, an administrator of the French king
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
Louis XIV. He also translated Jean Galbert de Campistron‘s Andronicus into Dutch. Many of his works show the influence of French classicism
Classicism
Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
, such as De gecroonde leerse, split up into five parts and formulated in alexandrine
Alexandrine
An alexandrine is a line of poetic meter comprising 12 syllables. Alexandrines are common in the German literature of the Baroque period and in French poetry of the early modern and modern periods. Drama in English often used alexandrines before Marlowe and Shakespeare, by whom it was supplanted...
s.
Most significant works
De Swaen’s most significant works are: De gecroonde leerse (1688), Catharina (1702), Mauritius, Andronicus (1700), Le Cid (1694), De Menschwording (the embodiment, 1688), Het leven en de dood van Jesus Christus (1694), Neder-duitsche digtkonde of rym-konst (the Dutch poetry and art of rhyming, ca. 1702), de zedighe doot van Carel den Vijfden (ca. 1707).Catharina
CatharinaCatharina
Catharina may refer to:* Catharina , a lunar impact crater* Catharina , a barquePeople with the given name Catharina:In literature:* Amalia Catharina, German poet and composer...
is a Christian tragedy
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
about Saint Catherine of Alexandria in which the most important subject is the conflict between paganism
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
and Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
: the martyr Catherine of Alexandria was executed by order of the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
emperor Maxentius
Maxentius
Maxentius was a Roman Emperor from 306 to 312. He was the son of former Emperor Maximian, and the son-in-law of Emperor Galerius.-Birth and early life:Maxentius' exact date of birth is unknown; it was probably around 278...
. This work has a special place in Dutch literature as the genre it seems to belong to was almost non-existent in the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands.
De gecroonde leerse
One day Jacquelijn, the wife of Teunis the shoemaker, goes to the market where she buys a caponCapon
A capon is a rooster that has been castrated to improve the quality of its flesh for food.-History:The Romans are credited with inventing the capon. The Lex Faunia of 162 BC forbade fattening hens in order to conserve grain rations. In order to get around this the Romans castrated roosters, which...
for a family feast to take place that evening. Emperor Charles V is watching everything from a distance. Keen on the appetising capon, he commands his servant to follow Jacquelijn. She shows him where she lives. Charles decides to go there on his own. To get an invitation, the emperor offers wine to everyone. A day later, Teunis the shoemaker is summoned by the emperor. The rather worried poor Teunis goes to the Court where he recognises the generous guest of last evening. Charles V then appoints Teunis as his imperial shoemaker.
De gecroonde leerse is De Swaen’s only comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
and one of the most important works in Dutch literature
Dutch literature
Dutch literature comprises all writings of literary merit written through the ages in the Dutch language, a language which currently has around 23 million native speakers...
. The work is played as well in the Southern as the Northern Netherlands and even in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Although the author describes the work as a clucht-spel (comedy), it displays nevertheless also features of French classic comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
.
Remark: De gecroonde leerse has been put entirely on the website of the digital Library of Dutch Literature, the “Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren“: De gecroonde leerse.
De zedighe doot van Carel den Vijfden
Remark: One can also read De zedighe doot van Carel den Vijfden on ’’De Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren’’Chronology of the Works
- 1688: De gecroonde leerse
- 1688: De Menschwording
- 1694: Le Cid, translated from Pierre Corneille’s work with the same name
- 1694: Het leven en de dood van Jesus Christus
- 1700: Andronicus, for the greater part based on the play of the same name by Jean Galbert de Campistron
- 1702: Catharina
- 1702: Mauritius
- about 1702: Neder-duitsche digtkonde of rym-konst
- about 1704: De zedighe doot van Carel den Vijfden
Influence
De Swaen was unquestionably one of the most famous rhetoricians in the Low CountriesLow Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
during the 17th century. Today, together with Maria Petyt and Edmond de Coussemaker
Edmond de Coussemaker
Charles Edmond Henri de Coussemaker, known as Edmond de Coussemaker, born on 19 April 1805 in Belle, died on 10 January 1876 in Lille, was a schooled jurist. As a musicologist and ethnologist, he focused mainly on the heritage of French Flanders...
, he is one of the most prominent representatives of Dutch culture in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
; Guido Gezelle
Guido Gezelle
Guido Pieter Theodorus Josephus Gezelle was an influential Flemish language writer and poet and a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium.- Life :...
called him the Vondel of Duinkerke.
Varia
The French Flemish "Michiel de Swaenkring" (Michiel de Swaen circle) has been named after him. In Duinkerke (Dunkirk) a street and a secondary school "Le Collège Michel de Swaen" have been named after him and in Nieuw-KoudekerkeCoudekerque-Branche
-References:* -External links:*...
, there is a Michiel de Swaen Square.
External links
De Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren (digital library of Dutch literature, dbnl.org Website of the University of Groningen, coo.let.rug.nl Bookshop on internet, internetboekhandel.nlSources
- M. Sabbe, Het leven en de werken van Michel de Swaen (1904)
- De Swaen in de Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren
- W.J.C. Buitendijk, Het calvinisme in de spiegel van de Zuidnederlandse literatuur der contrareformatie (1942)[
- A. Dacier et P. Corneille, Een bronnenonderzoek, in Versl. en Meded. Kon. Vl. Acad. (1954)
- C. Huysmans, Het geheim van een mysteriespel, in Versl. en Meded. Kon. Vl. Acad. (1926)
- G. Landry et Georges de Verrewaere, Histoire secrète de la Flandre et de l'Artois (1982)
- Robert Noote, La vie et l'œuvre de Michel de Swaen (1994)
- E. Rombauts, in Geschiedenis van de letterk. der Nederlanden, dl. v (1952)
- R. Seys, Michiel de Swaen. Gelijk de zonnebloem, Uitgeverij Heideland, Hasselt (1964)
- R. Seys, in Twintig eeuwen Vlaanderen, 13 (1976)
- J. Vanderheyden, Michel de Swaens Digtkonde