Telephone number:	+31 (0)71 527 2249
E-Mail:	c.maas@hum.leidenuniv.nl
Faculty / Department:	Faculteit der Geesteswetenschappen, Institute for Cultural Disciplines, Literatuurwetenschap
Office Address:	Johan Huizingagebouw Doelensteeg 16 2311 VL Leiden Room number 1.04a
Personal Homepage:	www.hum.leiden.edu/​icd/​organisation/​members/​maasc.html

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Fields of interest

- Latin literature of Antiquity, Middle Ages, and Renaissance
- historiography
- narrative strategies
- historical method
- literature and public debate
- the use of the concept 'Middle Ages'

Research

The starting point of my research is the fascinating paradox that some humanists, despite the negative aesthetic-literary judgement of the Middle Ages prevailing in their circles, wrote historical works precisely on this period. This programme is concerned with the role that this particular kind of Medievalism played in the formation of political ideology. This question is especially urgent in the case of the Low Countries where a spectacular - but almost unexplored - output of historical works was produced in Early-Modern times, among which a substantial number of works on Medieval history can be found. This was mainly due to the political and religious changes which were connected with the Dutch Revolt and which needed legitimisation. This project will examine selected texts to determine the attitudes and ideological frameworks which influenced the presentation of Medieval history. The project aims to achieve this with the aid of post-classical narratology.

An analysis of spoken text, reported thoughts, actions described in the narrative and the coordination of their ideological implications by the narrator will be attempted, with the aim of revealing the ideological pattern on which the narrative is based. Moreover, the rhetorical aspect of this presentation will be investigated: how is this ideology put forward in a persuasive way? The strength of this approach lies in its interdisciplinary perspective. Modern narratology will be related to Early-Modern texts and poetics; research on Medievalism will be combined with narratology and research on ideology. I hope and expect that these confrontations will lead to innovative insights for all the fields at issue.

Curriculum Vitae

September 2001 to June 2006:  Study of Classical Languages and Culture in Leiden (passed with distinction)
August 2004 to June 2005:  Translation of Hoven, R (1994) Lexique de la prose Latine de la Renaissance for Brill Publishers, Leiden
March 2006 to June 2006:  Student assistant of Professor Dr K.A.E. Enenkel: assistance in writing a research proposal for NWO subsidy 
Since September 2006:  Research assistant at the Pallas research institute in Leiden (supervisor: Professor K.A.E. Enenkel)

Publications

- Hoven, R., Grailet, L. (2006) Lexique de la prose latine de la Renaissance. Dictionary of Renaissance Latin from Prose Sources. Deuxième édition revue et considérablement augmentée. Second edition, revised and considerably expanded. Traduction anglaise par Coen Maas, revue par Karin Renard-Jadoul. English translations by Coen Maas, revised by Karin Renard-Jadoul, Brill (Leiden)