"Met Argusogen gekeken"… Hoe de "Amsterdamsche Argus" zijn lezers deugdzamer maakte

Abstract

This article focuses on the 18^th century periodical called the Amsterdamsche Argus 1718–1722, edited by Hermanus van den Burg 1682–1752. It combined satirical journalism with various kinds of news. Its social impact can be described as a typical eighteenth-century phenomenon, known as the ‘moral reorientation’ [morele herbewapening]. This process is very clearly reflected in the communication between the author and his readers. In my article I emphasize some aspects of this communication, such as journalistic tools used by the author in the process of creating press articles and analyze the form of each news and its components and figures, as I have found in all editions of the periodical, which gives a broad view of the communication tools. By means of the satirical character of the periodical, the author’s message reaches the reader of the text effortlessly. The author compares the Dutch nation with other European nations. His sarcastic criticism of other nations brings out in strong relief the Dutch sense of superiority. In this case the Amsterdamsche Argus implements its own way of the ‘moral reorientation.’