Vir non vulgari eloquentia: Joachim Hübner’s Elegance of Expression

0554716 - FLÚ 2022 RIV CZ eng J - Journal Article
Slavíková, Marcela
Vir non vulgari eloquentia: Joachim Hübner’s Elegance of Expression.
Acta Comeniana. -, 34/58 (2020), s. 49-64. ISSN 0231-5955
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GB14-37038G
Research Infrastructure: LINDAT/CLARIAH-CZ - 90101
Institutional support: RVO:67985955
Keywords : Joachim Hübner * Early modern correspondence in Latin * Elegant Latin style * the Hartlib circle * Latin collocations and idioms * Expressive and technical Latin vocabulary
OECD category: Specific languages
Method of publishing: Metadata only

This paper discusses the Latin style of Joachim Hübner (1611–1666), an important member of the Hartlib circle whom his colleagues valued for his elegance of expression in Latin. Only his letters have survived, among which the 1638–1640 Latin correspondence with Johannes Amos Comenius excels in length and refinement. It appears that in order to achieve such elegance of expression, not only did Hübner use rhetorical devices such as elaborate metaphors and syntax, but that he also employed advanced vocabulary (e.g., expressive, technical, rare and Greek words) which he would hardly have encountered in the usual school curriculum. Careful analysis of Hübner’s vocabulary has revealed his sources: besides a thorough knowledge of Cicero’s phraseology, Hübner knew Erasmus’s Adagia in detail and it is also apparent that he was particularly skilled in the language that was fashionable in contemporary learned correspondence. However, due to Hübner’s tendency to overuse rhetorical devices and unusual vocabulary, his style is ostentatious and at times complex to the point of obscurity.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0329380