'Providential Discourse' Reconsidered: The Case of the Delft Thunderclap (1654). (3rd May 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Meijer Drees, Marijke
• Is Part Of: Dutch crossing. Volume 40:Number 2(2016)
• Page Start: 108
• Page End: 121
• Publication Date: 2016-05-03
• Subjects: Providential discourse -- disaster -- delft thunderclap -- explosion -- fire -- rhetoric -- emotions -- compassion; Netherlands -- Periodicals; 949.2005
• DOI: 10.1080/03096564.2016.1159869
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0309-6564

Abstract

Abstract : Scholarly research has described religious reactions to early modern disasters as 'providential discourse', in line with the theological term Divine Providence, and has claimed that the so-described 'peccatogenic' perception (from the Latin word 'peccatum' or sin) prevails in this discourse. This article reconsiders the concept of providential discourse in two respects. Firstly, its diversity is highlighted. Secondly, it argues that providential discourse, rhetorically charged as it was, often aimed to evoke collective emotions in its audiences, such as compassion with those affected. This reconsideration is based on the analysis of narratively framed responses to the Delft Thunderclap (1654).