The Devotio Moderna, the Emotions and the Search for ‘Dutchness’

From the nineteenth century the adherents of the Devotio Moderna were regarded as the archetypical Dutch, mainly because of the measured way in which they handled their emotions. This article challenges this notion by a careful study of the Devotio Moderna as an emotional community, in which different emotional styles were developed. It examines perceptions and performances of emotions in Devotio Moderna biographies, focusing on the seminal emotions of fear and love. Biographies provide insight into the emotional styles of different groups in Devotio Moderna, men in contrast to women, sisters... Mehr ...