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oa Geofferd op het altaar van de deugd
Meerstemmigheid in de spotliedjes rond een Haags schandaal in 1700
- Amsterdam University Press
- Source: De Achttiende Eeuw, Volume 53, Issue 1, Jan 2021, p. 88 - 105
Abstract
The tragic story of Sophia van Noortwijck (1673-1710) and her mother Sophia van der Maa (1636?-1710) is a well-documented and suitable case to investigate prevailing ideas about morality in the county of Holland around 1700. Because of their promiscuous and fraudulent behaviour, these wealthy ladies were involved in a scandalous trial before the high court in The Hague. Mother and daughter had flouted the norms and values of their various social circles to such an extent that they ended up excluded from those communities altogether. This article focuses on one particular type of source, namely mock-songs and pasquils that circulated about them and denounced their immoral behaviour. I argue that these songs give us access to the subjective experiences and value judgments of contemporaries. In doing so, I connect to the current debate in heritage studies around diversity and inclusion. The concepts of a ‘multi-voiced society’ and exclusion are also useful for studying the past and the memories of the past, particularly in a case like this one where the wealth of sources (letters, court documents, testimonies, personal notes, etc.) enables us to interpret these voices.