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This volume contains a selection of essays presented at the international conference of Cultural Crises in Art and Literature, held in Groningen in November 2002, in special sessions concerning modern Dutch literature. The recent decennia have shown a gradual transition in Netherlandic Studies towards new scopes: a contextual orientation of literature and the reception of 'Theory'. The contributions to this volume touch upon the theme of cultural crises from the perspective of these frameworks, approaching topics like the interrelation of literary representation and historical and medical discourse concerning the obsession by dirt, contamination, and dust; the impact of nationalism and humanism (in the political field) on literary education; the decline of modernism, resulting in the changing position of women authors, the rise of children's literature and the reassessment of 'low' genres like melodrama. A brief outline of the development of the study of modern Dutch literature opens this volume, the presentation of a general theoretical and methodological framework for conceptualizing the notion of cultural crisis concludes it. ... Read more

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Clandestine literature was published in all countries under Nazi occupation, but nowhere else did it flourish as it did in the Netherlands. This raises important questions: What was the content of this literature? What were the risks of writing, printing, selling, and buying it? And why the Netherlands? Traditionally, the combative Dutch 'spirit of resistance' has been cited, a reaction not only to German oppression but to German propaganda: while the Germans hoped to build bonds with their 'Germanic' Dutch 'brothers,' clandestine literature insisted on their incompatibility. However, when reading clandestine literature, one should not forget that this 'spirit of resistance' came rather late and did not prevent the transportation of seventy-three percent of the Netherlands' Jewish population to Nazi death camps -- the largest percentage in Western Europe. The Dutch case is complex: while the country proved to be remarkably resistant to Nazi propaganda, little was done to prevent the actual execution of Nazi policies. The complete story of Dutch clandestine literature therefore combines resistance and complicity, victory and defeat, pride and shame. ... Read more

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This is the first comprehensive examination of Dutch colonial literature in English.From the journals and travelogues produced by the early mariners, to the fictional recollections of repatriated colonials after the Second World War, E. M. Beekman's unique survey of Dutch colonial literature places literary figures within specific epochs, provides biographical portraits, and examines works in relation not only to their own genres but also to the literatures and cultures beyond their colonial borders.Written by the leading authority in the field, the study is enhanced by a consideration of the general political history of European expansion and of the Dutch East Indies. ... Read more

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Dutch literature of the 17th century, while not as famous as other elements of the culture of the Dutch Golden Age, deserves independent focus, not only because of its own intrinsic worth, but also because of the evidence of strong social concern that it presents and the light it sheds on other aspects of the Golden Age. Despite this, the literature has not been examined closely, undoubtedly because of the language barrier, but also because there is no reasonable introduction to the material. This book corrects that lack. Illustrated, it groups its subjects thematically: politics, religion, nature, daily life. Because Golden Age painting, in particular, is so famous, the book devotes a special chapter to the connection between poetry and painting. A concluding chapter shows the repbublic's function as a European literary trading centre with brisk import and export. Included also are texts and translations of poems and extensive bibliographies for further study. ... Read more

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This collection has been edited to reflect the changing nature of criticism and scholarship in relation to the Romantic period. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Challenging, Rewarding Essays by Distinguished Academics
Published in ten volumes, The Penguin History of Literature is a critical survey of English and American literature. Volume 5, The Romantic Period, is comprised of twelve independent essays authored by distinguished academics. These detailed, thought-provoking essays will appeal primarily to upper level students in history and English literature. David B. Pirie edited this collection as well as contributing the interesting essay on John Keats.

Seven chapters address the works of influential literary figures including Jane Austen, William Blake, William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats. Scholarly, detailed, semi-biographical essays do assume substantial familiarity with their poetry, prose and letters. However, the persistent reader is rewarded with a greater insight into the interplay of politics and literature during this turbulent period of English history.

Five more general chapters are devoted to analyzing political and social change:

Events Have Made Us A World of Readers - a thoughtful, detailed examination of the rapid growth and democratization of the reading public 1780-1830. Universal literacy, initially viewed as a harbinger of anarchy, was seen by the mid-nineteenth century as a precondition for political stability.

Politics and the Novel 1780-1830 - the novel, in 1780 considered the lowest of literary genre, was revitalized by the realization that fiction could be a powerful tool for influencing public opinion. A difficult chapter - I was unacquainted with the writings of period authors like Robert Bage, Charlotte Smith, Elizabeth Inchbald, Jane West, Maria Edgeworth, Amelia Opie, and Thomas Peacock. Only the section on Sir Walter Scott was familiar ground.

Representing the People: Crabbe, Southey, and Hazlitt - popular liberties, popular will, and popular sovereignty were new, problematic concepts. This fascinating essay looks at how three writers very differently approached these new ideas.

Poor Relations: Writing in the Working Class 1770-1835 - The reading public was charitable to literary curiosities (an untutored muse, a Suffolk cottager, an orphan poet, a blind poet, a poetic shoemaker, etc.) provided that appropriate poetic forms, topics, and social norms were observed. Working class authors of revolutionary tracts rarely had access to book publishing.

Orientalism - a detailed (perhaps, overly so) examination of the influence of oriental culture on English Romantic literature and poetry, particularly as British colonialism expanded into India.

Suggestion: The appendix contains a useful Table of Dates (1770-1837), 26-pages in length. I recommend reading (not simply scanning) this intriguing compilation of historical events before studying the essays themselves.An extensive bibliography is also provided. ... Read more

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Last Days in a Dutch Hotel (from Literature and Life) is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by William Dean Howells is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of William Dean Howells then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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English info text:This volume contains a study of the utopian literary genre in modern Dutch literature. Authors studied include Jan van Boendale, Jeremias de Decker, Eric de Kuyper, Peter Verhelst. Dutch text.Dutch info text:Er zijn weinig genres waarvan de kernwerken zo vast schijnen te liggen als dat van de literaire utopie. Nochtans zijn er ook heel wat manifestaties te vinden van het utopische gedachtegoed in teksten die normaal gesproken niet meteen tot deze beperkte verzameling worden gerekend. Neemt het tot nog toe verrichte utopieonderzoek de vooronderstellingen van een eeuwenlange onderzoekstraditie zomaar over? Bleven talloze titels onterecht buiten beschouwing? Moeten de conventionele visies op het genre worden bijgesteld? Met deze en andere vragen in het achterhoofd verkennen de vijf medewerkers aan deze bundel zowel oudere als moderne literatuur, op zoek naar sporen van het utopische in het werk van onder meer Jan van Boendale, Jeremias de Decker, Eric de Kuyper, Peter Verhelst en in Noord-Nederlandse regionale romans. Zij komen van hun reizen terug met spannende openingen voor verder onderzoek. ... Read more

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In this first English-language study of one of Flanders' greatest poets, Hermine J. van Nuis presents an overview of Guido Gezelle's major poetry collections and focuses upon his evolution as a poet and thinker. The author places Gezelle's poetry within its significant cultural and political contexts and analyzes his major poetry collections in terms of the circumstances of his life that shaped them. Synthesizing various critical viewpoints expressed in Netherlandic scholarship, van Nuis demonstrates how Gezelle's poetic technique paved the way for modern Dutch poetry. The volume is complete with a selected bibliography, notes, references, and a chronology of the poet's life. ... Read more

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De Koele Minnaar by Hugo Claus. 1957 hardcover published by Uitgeverij de Bezige Bij. Text in Dutch. ... Read more

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From the twelfth century onwards the legends of King Arthur and his knights, including the Tristan legend, spread across Europe, producing a vast range of adaptations and new stories. German and Dutch literature were of central importance in this expansion of Arthurian material from the twelfth to sixteenth century, contributing works of outstanding aesthetic quality and a lively process of reception, adaptation and transmission in which the Arthurian subject matter underwent various modifications in contact with northern and central European traditions. ... Read more