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Document Details :

Title: Van 'oude historien' naar 'wat nyeus'
Subtitle: Middeleeuwse ridderstof in zestiende-eeuwse gedrukte prozaromans
Author(s): FAEMS, An
Journal: Spiegel der Letteren
Volume: 50    Issue: 2   Date: 2008   
Pages: 173-190
DOI: 10.2143/SDL.50.2.2033307

Abstract :
This article deals with the sixteenth-century printed Dutch prose versions of medieval chivalric romances. In the first part, it is argued that the transition from manuscript to print is not the only explanation for the differences between the prose versions and their medieval predecessors. Other gradual transitions pertaining to the transition from verse to prose, the increasing readership, and different modes of reception must be taken into account. The second part discusses the differences in form and content between the printed and manuscript versions, and shows that prevailing descriptions of these differences – e.g. in terms of simplification and idealization – are unable to account for the full complexity of the transition between both media.

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