Erik Butler 
The Bellum Grammaticale and the Rise of European Literature 

The now-forgotten genre of the bellum grammaticale flourished in the sixteenth- and seventeenth centuries as a means of satirizing outmoded cultural institutions and promoting new methods of instruction. In light of works written in Renaissance Italy, ancien régime France, and baroque Germany (Andrea Guarna“s Bellum Grammaticale [1511], Antoine Furetière“s Nouvelle allégorique [1658], and Justus Georg Schottelius“ Horrendum Bellum Grammaticale [1673]), this study explores early modern representations of language as war. While often playful in form and intent, the texts examined address serious issues of enduring relevance: the relationship between tradition and innovation, the power of language to divide and unite peoples, and canon-formation. Moreover, the author contends, the ‚language wars‘ illuminate the shift from a Latin-based understanding of learning to the acceptance of vernacular erudition and the emergence of national literature.