Reading the Classics in Jesuit Grammar Schools in the Mid-Seventeenth Century

Sources on the Rhetorical Education of István Gyöngyösi and Pál Esterházy

Abstract

This study aims to reconstruct which authors were read in the different classes of the grammar schools in the Austrian Jesuit province, and how the reading of these texts influenced the creation of orations, poetry, and letters in the classroom. The analysis focuses on the mid-seventeenth century, providing a clearer picture of the educational background of the Hungarian poets István Gyöngyösi and Pál Esterházy. The paper identifies a new group of sources, the anthologies created for different classes in the Austrian Jesuit province, and examines how the content of these anthologies aligns with the principles outlined in the Ratio Studiorum. The imitation of classical authors in texts produced in the classroom is analysed based on Pál Esterházy’s student notes. The analysis of letter-writing tasks also sheds light on the writing practices in the Hungarian language.