Publication details
Anti-Hussite Polemics : The Denigration of an Opponent by Štěpán of Dolany
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2026 |
| Type | Peer-reviewed scientific article |
| Magazine / Source | GRAECO-LATINA BRUNENSIA |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://journals.phil.muni.cz/graeco-latina-brunensia/issue/view/2868 |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.5817/GLB2026-1-9 |
| Keywords | Štěpán of Dolany; Jan Hus; polemics; rhetorical strategies; Dialogus volatilis |
| Description | The study examines the polemical strategies employed by Štěpán of Dolany, a Moravian Carthusian prior and one of the lesser—known opponents of Jan Hus. It focuses on the analysis of Štěpán’s treatises Antihus and Dialogus volatilis. Rather than engaging in theological argumentation, Štěpán constructs a rhetorically charged and deliberately negative portrayal of Hus, whose alleged disobedience to ecclesiastical authority serves as the principal trigger for the author’s confrontational tone. The analysis shows that Štěpán’s depiction of Hus varies according to the intended public as well as on a formal level, e.g. when speaking about Hus in the third person, he adopts a more restrained stance, whereas direct address leads to heightened verbal aggression. The question of genre also played a role and is therefore duly analysed: In Dialogus volatilis, the dialogic form enables Štěpán to intensify this strategy by stylizing Hus as an arrogant and contemptuous figure, contrasted with the humble “sparrow” representing the author himself. The study thus highlights the role of literary construction and rhetorical manipulation in shaping anti Hussite discourse. |
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