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Chapter 6. Dutch Literary Journalism: From Pamphlet to Newspaper (ca. 1600–1900)
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95 Chapter 6 Dutch Literary Journalism From Pamphlet to Newspaper (ca. 1600–1900) Clazina Dingemanse and RutgeR de GRaaf When exPloRing the field of literary journalism, one undoubtedly encounters Tom Wolfe’s volume The New Journalism. In one section called “Is the New Journalism Really New?” Wolfe discusses several possible early examples of literary journalism. He focuses primarily on eighteenth-, nineteenth -, and twentieth-century novelists, concluding that while some could definitely be considered “not half-bad candidates,” literary journalism in general did not come into its own until the twentieth century.1 Our intent here is to reexamine Wolfe’s question of early examples of protoliterary journalism by taking a closer look at the popular pamphlet press. The intermingling of literary techniques, fiction, reality, and news was a familiar characteristic of early modern pamphleteering in western Europe. Because of its long history as a varied news medium, the pamphlet is sometimes considered to be the “predecessor of the features, editorials, serials, personal columns, human interest stories, and news reports of our newspapers and magazines.”2 In this essay we examine the literary techniques that were used in pamphlets from the late sixteenth to the nineteenth century, focusing specifically on the traces of literary pamphleteering in the nineteenth-century newspaper. We argue that, during a time of journalistic experimentation, routines and journalistic genres were “borrowed” from this century-old predecessor to be used in the newspaper. This process of reinventing journalistic practices has been called remediation.3 Because new media tend to take over typical characteristics of older media, the older media must adapt in order to survive. If they risk losing some of their old characteristics in the process, they gain new ones as well, catering to different audience needs to find a niche in which to exist. To discuss the changing European media landscape, we focus on the Netherlands for two main reasons. First, Dutch pamphlet production has been well documented. Second, historical studies show that the growth of Dutch 96 Clazina Dingemanse and RutgeR de GRaaf pamphleteering and the inception of newspapers were symptomatic of wider changes taking place in the written media of other western European countries , notably France, Germany, and Britain. Therefore an examination of the development of and literary techniques in Dutch pamphlets in particular may very well shed light on the historical evolution of European literary journalism in general. The Pamphlet: A Varied Platform for News and Opinion Pamphleteering started in the sixteenth century during the religious conflicts that were spreading across Europe. The early German Reformers understood the potential of the printing press and used it to reach and address a broad and varied audience. The printed propaganda of the German Reformation soon reached far and wide and began influencing the growth of the popular pamphlet press elsewhere in Europe. The pamphlet established itself as part of the literary scene by the end of the sixteenth century. These booklets were noticed by contemporary observers and were considered a literary novelty.4 In the seventeenth century, pamphleteering grew to a remarkable scale: the pamphlet became the primary mass medium for communicating news and opinion throughout western Europe. As one Dutch pamphleteer said in 1650, “I don’t know what I am more surprised about: the quantity and abundance [of pamphlets], or the differences of opinion in the same amount.”5 Pamphlets did not replace other, often quicker sources of disseminating news, such as oral communication and handwritten letters. But within days after a newsworthy event, pamphlets provided a mass public with detailed information and commentary. Especially in times of crisis, such as during a war, domestic conflicts, or political upheavals, hundreds of pamphlets “rained down on the country.”6 In the periods 1614–1617 and 1648–1652 in France, for example, floods of printed propaganda challenged the royal government.7 Because of their youth, Kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV respectively could not govern the country themselves, which resulted in a destabilized monarchy and political unrest. An English example is the beginning of the Civil Wars of the period 1642–1651. Especially in 1641–42 there was a massive pamphlet production, wherein the Royalists, supporting King Charles I, and the Parliamentarians, supporting the Long Parliament, opposed their political voices. Peak Years in Dutch Pamphlet Production As in France and England, newsworthy events and periods of crisis in the Netherlands corresponded with a peak in pamphlet production, as shown in [3.141.0.61] Project MUSE (2024-04-17 20:57 GMT) Dutch Literary Journalism...