K PROMĚNÁM POHLEDU NA LATINSKOU BOHEMIKÁLNÍ LITERATURU OBDOBÍ HUMANISMU V 19. A 20. STOLETÍ
On the Development of the Views of Latin-Written Bohemian Humanistic Literature in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Century

Summary/Abstract: The paper gives an outline of the most important views of Bohemian Latin-written humanistic literature, held by the Czech literary history from the late nineteenth century up to the present. By referring to the works of Jaroslav Vlček, Jan Jakubec, Arne Novák, Josef Hrabák or Zdeňka Tichá, the author wants to demonstrate the recently much discussed fact that the critical views of the Czech-written humanistic literature has been, for many years, heavily influenced by stereotypes. These mainly concern the highlighting of the key role of Viktorin Kornel of Všehrdy as the founder of the Czech branch of Bohemian humanistic literature and a pioneer of national efforts – an image based on his foreword to his translation of John Chrysostom’s „The Restitution of a Sinner” („De reparatione lapsi hominis”), which has been considered as „a manifesto of national humanism”. This has largely determined the concept of Bohemian Latin-written humanism, petrified by literary historians, as a second-class literature, which was largely self-included, not understandable to broader audiences, and not serving national interests. In a recent issue of „Česká literatura” magazine, this concept of Latin literature was criticised by the Bohemicist Fernández Couceiro, who stressed a need to reconsider some of the established “myths” about national humanism. The present study supports Couceiro’s claims, demonstrating how deep-rooted these stereotypical views have been in Czech literary history. The author focuses on the appreciation of Latin-written literature, against which, according to the quoted literary-historical studies, national humanism stood in opposition.

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