Queeste - Current Issue

Abstract Vanden winter ende vanden somer is a Dutch play using allegorical characters. Although less common in the Dutch-language corpus, this type of representation certainly flourished in Europe from the fifteenth to the end of the sixteenth centuries. This is why we would like to compare the abele spel from the Van Hulthem manuscript to two of its French and English counterparts, the Moralité des quatre éléments and th Read More

Abstract In Van den Winter ende van den Somer, written about 1400 in or around Brussels as one of the four secular plays known as ‘abele spelen’, the traditional folkloristic motif of a struggle between summer and winter is permeated by a discussion on the cosmic order. This is explained by Venus, who acts as a planet as well as the goddess of love. From the beginning the love theme pervades the discussions. Venus’ role an Read More

Abstract Apart from a small fragment, Die Riddere metter Mouwen (‘The Knight with the Sleeve’), a thirteenth century Arthurian romance written in Middle Dutch, has only survived in the Lancelot Compilation (c. 1320-1330). Here, the story is presented in two parts: not like a ‘Doppelweg’, but in a diptych structure with two narrative panels of approximately equal size, duplicating each other. Despite this clever design, remarkable Read More

Abstract This article describes the history of a series of editions of complete manuscripts, the Middeleeuwse verzamelhandschriften uit de Nederlanden (MVN). It pays attention to the people involved in the project, the principles of the editions, the results achieved and the scholarly reactions to the series.

Abstract At a seminar on 2 October 2023, the Committee overseeing the publication of Medieval Miscellanies from the Low Countries and the Huygens Institute presented four new digital editions of medieval miscellanies: the Vanden Stock manuscript, the Serrure manuscript, the Blauwe Schuit manuscript and the Heber-Serrure Codex. One more volume will follow. The digital volumes follow the conventions for the printed Read More