It wurk fan Gysbert Japix n-2 - Tresoar

The additional work by GJ himself concerns mostly texts which Gabbema had
received from the poet. Certain agreements in catchwords and running heads leave
no doubt that the edition goes back to a copy of the 1668 edition.
There may have been various reasons for the edition of 1681. Gabbema himself
says that there was an "unbearable desire" for a second impression, which he is willing
to edit for the honour of Friesland and for the benefit and enjoyment of the rest of
The Netherlands. His appreciation concerns both language and literature. Trough
dedicating the book to the States of Friesland and the stadtholder, he made its publication
a provincial concern. Links with Vulcanius placed it in the humanistic tradition.
If GJ had not yet become a classic poet, Gabbema made him into one with
this edition.
The issue of 1684 is a remaindered part of the 1681 edition, provided with a reset
first quire and a new titlepage for volume II in order to suit the new publisher's imprint.
Perhaps the work sold better in the university town of Franeker, where the new
publisher lived, than in Leeuwarden, the place where the first edition was
published.
Readers (3.2)
In order to collect data about the nature and size of the interest in the work, particularly
up to 1822,1 have traced down and investigated household inventories, auction
catalogues and copies of FR editions. In each case, all available particulars are
reported, such as names of owners or, where appropriate, imitators of GJ's work,
prices, hand-written notes, and - albeit less thoroughly - the physical appearances of
the book.
On the basis of these surveys the editions of 1668 and 1681 can be estimated as having
consisted at most, of a hundred and two hundred copies, respectively. An analysis
of antecedents and statements of those who owned or copied GJ's work before
1822 suggests that it was valued as literature, as a specimen of the Frisian language
and as a symbol of the Frisian culture.
Even while GJ was still alive, it appears from imitations that the Friessche Tjerne
(1640) was an instant success. With respect to education interest was restricted
mainly, but not entirely, to academies. This can be accounted for partly by the character
of the source material. With respect to class it is notable that the Frisian nobility
was well represented. Although the number of subscribing farmers was very small
in 1821, the figure is still favourable in comparison to the number of farmers on other
subscription lists. GJ's works never achieved mass popularity, not even in the nineteenth
century when attempts were made to present him as a poet of the people. Even
by 1700 a considerable number of the indications of the melodies had become
obscure.
Life and world (4)
With the heading 'Life and world' I intend to distinguish between conditions of
life and outlooks on life, that is to say, between origin, education, work, family,
friends and acquaintances on the one hand, and religion, politics and (literary) culture
on the other. As straight statements on these subjects are absent, GJ's opinions
must be deduced from circumstancial evidence. The advantage of a method which
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