NE2V13003 Dutch Literature III: The Middle Ages: Finding primary literature and surveys

In order to find a relevant research question related to your Middle Dutch text, it is important to find a good modern edition (if available), read the text and find out what research already has been done.

1. Find out if the text is published in a modern scholarly edition (so-called primary literature), and if so: list them in Zotero. Use surveys of literary history (Stemmen op schrift, Wereld in woorden and Het gevleugelde woord) and/or the sources mentioned in ‘Finding secondary literature' (BNTL, DBNL, the Utrecht entry of WorldCat etc.).

2. Choose the most recent scholarly edition for your research. Add a note to this particular reference in Zotero, in which you motivate your choice.

3. Read your Middle Dutch text in a modern edition (up to a maximum of 4000 lines) and make a summary of ca. 100 words (if you use the introduction of the edition or a survey, make sure you refer to them, with page numbers). Add to Zotero as a note to the reference of the Middle Dutch text.

4. Explore your topic, using surveys of Middle Dutch literary history.

5. Add a preliminary research question to Zotero as a note to the reference of the Middle Dutch text (together with the summary).

When you need a specific book, whether printed or digitised, search for the author and title in the Utrecht entrance to Worldcat or dbnl.org.

When you need a specific article from a journal, search:

• The author/title in our Google Scholar (with UBU link) . The fastest way, but you won´t find everything that is available in Utrecht.

• The journal title in the list of electronic journals and browse to the specific volume, issue and page.

• The journal title in the Utrecht entrance to WorldCat, if only the journal is available in print.

More about searching in WorldCat see the LibGuide WorldCat

Find the most relevant information about your Middle Dutch text in the following surveys:

- Frits van Oostrom, Stemmen op Schrift: Geschiedenis van de Nederlandse literatuur vanaf het begin tot 1300, Bert Bakker, 2006.

- Frits van Oostrom, Wereld in woorden. Geschiedenis van de Nederlandse literatuur vanaf 1300-1450, Bert Bakker, 2013.

-Herman Pleij, Het gevleugelde woord. Geschiedenis van de Nederlandse literatuur vanaf 1450-1560, Bert Bakker, 2007.

These surveys not only provide an engaging overview of the vernacular literary activity in the Low Countries until 1560, but also refers to relevant studies on Middle Dutch texts and subjects.

1. Look for your Middle Dutch text/subject in the register.

2. See in what chapter(s) the text/subject is discussed.

3. Identify the references to relevant literature on your text/subject in the explanatory notes (‘aantekeningen’) on the chapters at the back of the book (NB: find complete references in ‘literatuur’)

Keep in mind: these surveys are only available in Dutch and in print. You can find them at the university library, for instance in the city centre at the section Dutch language and literature (see WorldCat for exact reference, for example Stemmen op schrift has the reference NED: 18.11 85.17 *2006).