The Introduction outlines the inter-penetration of literary and diplomatic cultures within European and some non-European diplomatic practices, emphasizing the wide-ranging and sophisticated ways in which early modern diplomats utilized literary motifs. It introduces readers to existing research within the emerging field of diplo-literary studies and those areas of the ‘new diplomatic history’ which are most pertinent to the core thematic focus of the collection. While situating contributions within this literature, it also outlines the collective methodological and theoretical import of the volume. Paying particular attention to literary representations of diplomacy, diplomacy, and translation, the diplomatic dissemination of texts, and the texts used in diplomatic practice, it draws out a series of findings for the field.
Chapter 1 uses myth and myth-ritual theory to make sense of previously unstudied myths about the shared origins of diplomacy and literature in English, French, Spanish, and Italian diplomatic handbooks. Such diplomatic theorists as Alberico Gentili, Juan Antonio de Vera y Figueroa, Gasparo Bragaccia, and James Howell adapted classical myths and biblical stories to link the establishment of diplomatic institutions with the emergence of the literary arts. Set against a mythical time of pre-civilized anarchy, their origin accounts imply that without the rhetorical and poetic abilities believed necessary both to create literature and to negotiate successfully, international relations would break down, and anarchy prevail once more. These myths expose beliefs about the foundational relationship between diplomacy and literature prevalent within the European political elites that produced and consumed them. This chapter argues that, as powerful, community-wide narratives, the handbooks’ fictional histories naturalized the use of literary products and the display of literary skills—such as oratory, theatricality, wit, and poetic sensibility—within the diplomatic rituals of early modern Europe.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.