Discourses of Power

In the early modern period, Latin was the most important international language and was therefore regularly used in political contexts in order to shape ideological discourses of the time. The present volume collects papers of a conference dedicated to these ideological impacts of Neo-Latin literature. The contributions cover a wide range of texts connected with some of the most prominent political discussions in Europe during the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. They do not only shed light on the specific historical context, but also describe more general discursive mechanisms on which the specific texts are relying (eg: the role of exemplary texts and figures from antiquity, the importance of literary genres, the connection with vernacular traditions). Thus, the volume makes an important contribution to understanding the crucial importance of Latin literature within the political culture of early modern Europe.