Karl Enenkel, born in Vienna, Austria, in 1959. Ph.D. from Leiden University. Professor of Neo-Latin and Classical Latin at Leiden University.
Fellow (1 September 2008 – 30 June 2009)
DISCOURSES OF MEDITIATION AND SELF-REFLECTION IN ART AND LITERATURE, 1300-1600
During my NIAS Fellowship I took up a new research project on the analysis of humanistic authorship, by studying the function of paratexts and introductory parts of humanist writings, such as dedications, prefaces and letters to the reader. During my fellowship, I collected the source material, analysed it, designed a theoretical framework and succeeded in finishing the larger part of a forthcoming monograph (“Autorschaft, Autorisierung, Wissensvermittlung: Zur Funktion von Vorworttexten und Widmungen in der lateinischen Literatur, ca. 1350- ca. 1650”).
Besides this, I edited a collective volume The Neo-Latin Epigram; wrote four articles entitled “Meditative Frames as Guidance of the Reader in Neo-Latin Texts”, “The Appearance and Function of the Author in Neo-Latin Prefaces and Dedications”, “Der Zusammenprall frühneuzeitlicher Weisheitssysteme in Wort und Bild: Die Augsburger Ausgabe von Petrarcas Glücksbuch”, and “Die Entwicklung der humanistischen Streitkultur: ‘Petrarcas Invective contra medicum’”; and wrote three lemmas for the Historical Guide to the Reception of Augustine entitled “Autobiography, 1300-1600”, “Giovanni Conversini da Ravenna”, and “Ambrogio Traversari”. I also co-organised an international conference dedicated to the core topic of the theme group, “Discourses of Meditation in Art and Literature, 1300-1600”, held at NIAS, in April 2009.