FLEMISH LITERATURE. It is only with the Flemish movement. already mentioned, that the history of Flemish literature, in the strict sense of the word, begins. Before the nineteenth cen tury the literature of Flanders was indistin guishable front Dutch. (See the article DUTCH LITERATURE.) The first real step toward a recognition of Flemish was made by the Acad emy of Brussels in 1772, which put this language on an equal basis with French and Latin. The movement was checked by the French occupation in 1794, and as noted above, it was not until Jan Frans \Villeins appeared that Flemish became a literary language. As early as 1818 \Villeins set forth his views concerning the value of Flemish and its ancient history in his dissertation, iVar la languc ct la litOl•ature m'irlandaises, par rap port aux provinces meridionales des Pays-Bas. The movement was actively supported by the Government until 1830, when it received a tem porary setback. Soon, however, the Government returned to its policy of encouragement, and in 1836 commissioned \Villeins to publish the Aliddle-Flemish poem of Bei/uteri, which he had discovered. This was followed by other texts in rapid succession. At the same time a Flemish annual, Nederduitsch. let terku tulip jaarbockje, was being published by Rens, and was in a flourishing condition. Other pioneers with Willems were David, the founder of the review De 1Iiddalaer, Serrure, Snellaert, 13lommaert,•and Bormans, of whom the last four collaborated in the Belgsch Museum, which was edited by Willems. One of the most important of the early Flemish writers was Charles-Louis Ledeganck, whose poetry marks an epoch in the history of the literature, in such contributions as his 'Memel, mijner lente, and Dr Hut in 't flood. De became later also a prose-writer in his Dc Zinnelooze and learn:el tot de jengd ; but his masterpiece is the poem De drie Zustersteden, in praise of Ghent, Bruges, and Anvers, the three capitals of Flanders. The Mid dle Flemish literature, whose study had been be gun by \Villeins, was continued ably by Serrure in his Fader/ant/sell Museum (1855-61), and by David, Bormans, and Snellaert. The most im portant of the early novelists was Hendrick Con science, whose masterpiece was his Artercble, published in 1850, but who was a most prolific author, writing no less than seventy-one hooks. Theodor van Rijswijck returned to poetry, pub lishing Oorspronkelijke Verhalcn and Eppenstein, and his masterpiece describing the Flemish as pirations, Antigonus. Contemporary with Van
Rijswijek was Van Beers, the poet, famous for his Levensbeelden, Gevoel en Leven, and his long epic Begga. Following Conscience came a line of novelists, of whom Delcroix, author of field of Liefde and Philippine van Flaanderen, Sleeckx, who wrote Volksrerhalen, In 't Schipperskwatier, Op 't eksterlaar, and Dirk Heger, and Snieders, well known for his De gasthuisnon. Romanticism found an exponent in Be•gmann's Verspreide schetsen en novellcm (written under the pseudo nym of `Tony'). A new generation arose—one which had not to create, but to develop, a move ment. Here are prominent the names of Dant zenberg, whose Volksliederen were followed by the poems of De Cart and Van Droogenbroeck. The novel, to which Conscience had contributed so copiously, also received fresh inspiration in Madame Conrtmaits, who wrote fifty-eight ro mances, of which the most important are Roza van den Buschkant, Moeder Dance!, Het plan ran Pleint je Burbler, Dc Kociraeliter, and Ilet rad der fortuin. Two poetesses, the sisters Rosalie and Virginie Loyeling, are important figures in the literature of Flanders; and their novels, such as Broeder en Zustcr, M. Damien en zijnc crfge namen, by Rosalie. and Sidon, Emiliaantje, and Octavie en Estelle, 17 Virginie, are also worthy of note. Of the West Flemish authors the chief is the Abb(i Guido Gezelle, sti 110Se preaell the piety of the Chureli militant in his Diehtoefe ningen arid his Gediehti..,/, (;czaagell (•ti The drama has also been developed by the Flem ish, who tend especially, like the Dutrin, toward comedy. Espeobilly noteworthy productions in this branch of literature are the Meester en kiteellt and Zunnekin of Sleeekx, besides a large number of less important plays.
Consult: Schnermans, lgemecn Vlaamsch Idiot icon ( Louvain, 1856-70) ; De lio-Samyri, West Id-ioticon (2(1 ed., Ghent, 189'2) ; Delepierre, Nketeh of the History of Flemish Lit erature (London, 1860) ; Vereoullie, Hpraakleer van het Westvlitainsch (Ghent, 1894) ; Adriaen sen, 1 'bra rn sclic Poczic 1889) ; Steelier, Hisloire do la lit tu'rature ni'erla-ndaise en !lel gigue ( Brussels, 1887) ; Arjuna, Die riamisehe Ilewegung (C6then, 1897) ; flamelius, Hisloire politignc cl litt&aire do mourcalcut flamand (Brussels, 1894) ; Snellaert and de Potter, rlaamsehe bibliographic (Ghent, 1857 ct seq.).