Crime narratives in the eighteenth-century Dutch Republic

Description

The criminal biography is pivotal in European popular culture and a barometer of the relation between state and citizens. These biographies are textual description of the lives and deeds of notorious criminals, such as Jonathan Wild (England), Louis Dominique Cartouche (France), Schinderhannes (Germany), Tadas Blinda (Lithuania), Angelo Duca (Italy), Ole Høiland (Norway), Jaco (the Netherlands) and Jan de Lichte (Belgium). These biographies could have different functions. Authorities used them to discipline their citizens, people used them as a narrative of identity or resistance and authors and publishers often exploited them as popular entertainment. Due to its long tradition, its many printed manifestations, and its socio-political function, the criminal biography is an ubiquitous genre in European collections of ephemeral literature. In this paper I focused on the representation and popularisation of criminals in Dutch, eighteenth-century print culture.

Period	6 May 2022
Event title	LA LONGUE VIE DES IMPRIMÉS ÉPHÉMÈRES / THE LONG LIFE OF EPHEMERAL LITERATURE
Event type	Conference
Location	Geneve, SwitzerlandShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International