Studying the history of academic disciplines in the Humanities has become a discipline in and of itself (‘history of the Humanities’). I have a great interest in how the academic discipline of Old English Studies developed and professionalized and, in particular, the contributions of continental scholars like Jan van Vliet, Jacob Grimm, Eduard Sievers and Pieter Jacob Cosijn. Below are my publications in this field which are freely available in Open Access:
Runenoefeningen. De Oudgermanistiek in Leidse kinderschoenen
In: Tot publijcque dienst der studie: Boeken uit de Bibliotheca Thysiana, ed. Wim van Anrooij & Paul Hoftijzer (Hilversum: Verloren, 2023), 118-119.
A short 2-page contribution in Dutch, describing an annotated edition of Ole Worm’s Runir seu Danica literatura antiquissima (1636). The annotations include hand-written transcriptions of runes as well as a list of 62 Old English words (‘Anglosaxonica’) by Dutch scholar Jan van Vliet (1622-1666). As such, this book is a testimony to the early history of Old Germanic Studies in the Netherlands, notably Leiden.
Open Access link: https://doi.org/10.17613/9f8v-ef80
I can read Hollandsch very fairly. The Correspondence between James Murray (1837-1915) and Pieter Jacob Cosijn (1840-1899)
In: Language Use, Usage Guides, and Linguistic Norms, ed. Luisella Caon, Marion Elenbaas & Janet Grijzenhout (Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2021), 107-129.
This chapter discusses the correspondence between the OED’s James Murray and Pieter Jacob Cosijn (first professor of Old Germanic and Anglo-Saxon at Leiden University). The letters give a unique ‘look-behind-the-scenes’ at how Murray contacted foreign correspondents for advice on etymological matters. The contribution also features an annotated edition and translation of the correspondence.
Open Access link: https://doi.org/10.17613/prhw-jh27
An Old English Love Poem, a Beowulf Summary and a Reference Letter by Eduard Sievers: G. J. P. J. Bolland as an Amateur Old Germanicist
In: Scholarly Correspondence on Medieval Germanic Language and Literature, ed. Thijs Porck, Amos van Baalen and Jodie Mann, special issue of Amsterdamer Beiträge zur älteren Germanistik 78:2-3 (2018, Brill), 262-291
This article calls attention to documents relating to the early academic life of G. J. P. J. Bolland (1854–1922). During the late 1870s and early 1880s, Bolland was enthralled by the study of Old Germanic languages and Old English in particular. His endeavours soon caught the eye of Pieter Jacob Cosijn (1854–1922), Professor of Germanic Philology and Anglo-Saxon at Leiden University, who helped the Groningen-born student to further his studies. During his stays in London and Jena, Bolland communicated with prominent scholars, including Henry Sweet, Richard Morris and Eduard Sievers. Bolland’s annotated books, hand-written notes and scholarly correspondence provide a unique insight into academic life and student-professor relationships during the late nineteenth century. In addition, Bolland produced an Old English love poem and a Beowulf summary that are published here for the first time.
This article is part of a special issue on scholarly correspondence as a source for the history of Medieval Germanic studies, co-edited by myself and two research assistants.
Open Access link: http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/vk1f-wd53
De filosoof en de filoloog: De correspondentie tussen G. J. P. J. Bolland en P. J. Cosijn (1879-1899)
eLaborate, Huygens/ING (2018)
A peer-reviewed, open-access digital edition of 46 letters, in Dutch, German, English and Old English, between G. J. P. J. Bolland and P. J. Cosijn. The annotated edition (c.34,000 words) is accompanied by digital facsimiles of the letters and an introduction+indices (c.9,000 words).
Open Access link: http://correspondentie-bolland-en-cosijn.huygens.knaw.nl/
Thijs Porck 