... Toos Streng, '“Materialisme” in de Nederlandse kunst-en literatuurbeschouwing tussen 183... more ... Toos Streng, '“Materialisme” in de Nederlandse kunst-en literatuurbeschouwing tussen 1835 en 1860' Page 15. ... Een onderzoek naar het literaire denken over de verbeelding - van Van Alphen tot Verwey (dissertatie Amsterdam 1992) 158-160. ...
Religious and civic realism. A comparison between the novel poetics of De Tijdspiegel and De Gids... more Religious and civic realism. A comparison between the novel poetics of De Tijdspiegel and De Gids In the second half of the nineteenth century, the monthly magazine De Tijdspiegel (established in 1844) developed a novel poetics that could be described as 'religious realism' to distinguish it from the more liberal 'bourgeois realism'. Like the liberals, De Tijdspiegel attached great importance to the modern novel, but the magazine rejected the liberal separation of the spheres of life (and thus art for art's sake), their view of mankind and the world, and their empiricism. De Tijdspiegel reverted to Jean Paul's humour theory, as it had been introduced in the Netherlands in 1820 by Weiland. This theory of humour determined the form and content of the magazine, as well as their mutual interdependence, which would repeatedly lead to problems of interpretation. According to the Christian humourists' view of mankind, the weak individual, making his way in an imperfect world, could only rise above himself through religion. Only through (Christian) religion the author, who should always be characterised as the (omniscient) narrator in the text, could elevate the world and mankind to a true 'humanity'. The importance of this, often ironic, 'religious realism' should not be underestimated. The religious aspect has perhaps been proven indispensable, but to this day the novel's ability to increase 'sympathy' is regarded as a crucial quality of this genre.
Hi sto r ica is een uitgave van de Ver en iging vo o r V r o uw engesch ied enis en verschijn t i... more Hi sto r ica is een uitgave van de Ver en iging vo o r V r o uw engesch ied enis en verschijn t in febr uar i, juni, sep te mber en okto ber. Hoofdredacti e Zonne ke N atth ee Redactie dr s. Marije Gr o a s dr s. Marijk e H uisman dr s. Lizzy Jongm a dr s. Hillie van de Stree k Redactie-adres Scho kke rwerf I 2 3 17 DM Leide n
Een natuurlijke orde? : vrouwen en vrouwelijkheid in de negentiende eeuw , 1998
Hi sto r ica is een uitgave van de Ver en iging vo o r V r o uw engesch ied enis en verschijn t i... more Hi sto r ica is een uitgave van de Ver en iging vo o r V r o uw engesch ied enis en verschijn t in febr uar i, juni, sep te mber en okto ber. Hoofdredacti e Zonne ke N atth ee Redactie dr s. Marije Gr o a s dr s. Marijk e H uisman dr s. Lizzy Jongm a dr s. Hillie van de Stree k Redactie-adres Scho kke rwerf I 2 3 17 DM Leide n
Most research on the reception of foreign literature takes an author-focused approach. In this ar... more Most research on the reception of foreign literature takes an author-focused approach. In this article I elaborate on the opportunities created by the combination of an institutional and genre-focused approach. In the 19th century, Dutch translations of French novels were relatively rare. This is by and large explained by the fact that many Dutch readers were able to appreciate these novels in their original language. The funds of the 65 most prominent Dutch publishing houses from 1790 – 1899 indicate that, beginning in 1840, two categories of publishers can be distinguished: those which translated French novels and those that did not. Translations from French were published largely by those publishers serving the lower social class of literary society (more specifically: circulating libraries of lower social status). Most publishing houses that chose not to translate French novels did so not because such translations were superfluous but because they were deemed undesirable by the ...
Tijdschrift Voor Nederlandse Taal-en Letterkunde, 2013
– This article elaborates on the importance of the French novel in Holland between 1830 and 1875.... more – This article elaborates on the importance of the French novel in Holland between 1830 and 1875. Its poetic significance is inversely proportional to the number of translations. Novels translated from French were deemed inappropriate for reading societies and the supply remained limited to novels of lower quality, that were bought by less distinguished reading libraries. However, the French novel was indispensable for the debate on poetics. The increasing importance of the novel as a genre necessitated critics to develop a poetic of the novel, but their ethos inhibited a sharp debate on the work of contemporary Dutch authors. French authors and their novels, however, were freely discussed in Dutch elite magazines. As a result, the French novel was not seen only as an evil, but a necessary evil, that in the Netherlands of the nineteenth century served an artistic, polemic and social purpose. Moreover is shown that author-focused reception studies will easily lead to false conclusions.
Tijdschrift Voor Nederlandse Taal-en Letterkunde, 2017
According to book historian Laurens van Krevelen, belle lettres in the nineteenth century was a m... more According to book historian Laurens van Krevelen, belle lettres in the nineteenth century was a marginal publishing sector that existed by the grace of enthusiastic individuals and internal financing. In this contribution, van Krevelen’s thesis from 2003 is examined in the light of the purchasing policy of the Uitgevers-Maatschappij Elsevier (Publishing Company) founded in 1880. It showed that, up to 1865, the potential market for belle lettres was indeed limited, but fairly predictable. Also, the market for literature was larger than the one for ‘light reading’. After 1865, the individual-buyer’s market grew steadily, which caused expectations for the potential belle lettres market to rise considerably. However, in the course of the 1880s, the capricious and unpredictable nature of the mass market became apparent. Not until the end of the nineteenth century did literature become a marginal activity in the publishing sector, which could only exist on account of internal financing.
Genres help readers to decide what to read and how to read it. This article researches which aspe... more Genres help readers to decide what to read and how to read it. This article researches which aspects were highlighted by the genre designations in the (sub)titles of the circa 6700 original Dutch and translated novels, published in the Netherlands between 1790 and 1899. It turns out that the labels (among others) indicated where to place the text on the scale of truth versus invention. This is shown by an analysis, firstly of the meaning of the genre designation ‘historical novel’ and, secondly, by the way Dutch publishers dealt with genre-designations in the titles of translated novels. Moreover, these cases show a substantial difference between the Dutch and German genre system on the one hand and the Anglo-Saxon genre system on the other, a distinction that is lost when around 1900 the concept of ‘fiction’ became common in the Netherlands.
The sharp increase in the production of printed matter is an important aspect of what is commonly... more The sharp increase in the production of printed matter is an important aspect of what is commonly referred to as the ‘communication revolution’ of the nineteenth century. Several explanations for this increase have been suggested (technical innovations, population increase, increase in the number of book stores, increasing literacy and other political and cultural factors), but none have shown conclusive connections. My research argues that between 1790 and 1899, both in the short and long term, a clear correlation exists between the increased production of novels in the Netherlands and the (expected) increase in disposable income. Exceptions in this regard are the early years of the ‘Bataafse Republiek’ (primacy of politics), the French period between 1810-1814 (censorship) and the period 1846-1847 (politicizing of the novel). Furthermore my research shows that the development of the publishing industry is no different than the development of other fields of Dutch entrepreneurship:...
Tijdschrift Voor Nederlandse Taal-en Letterkunde, 2015
Although the critical appreciation of the historical novel in the nineteenth century strongly flu... more Although the critical appreciation of the historical novel in the nineteenth century strongly fluctuated under the influence of literary historical, historiographical and ideological developments, the genre remained so popular that Dutch authors could not meet the demand at any point in time. Especially German-speaking authors were translated. A detailed statistical comparison of the originally Dutch and the translated historical novels that were published in The Netherlands between 1790 and 1899 brings some typical characteristics of the Dutch historical novel to light. 1) Typically Dutch is the neglect of the Eighteenth Century and – compared to the originally German novels – Antiquity. Dutch authors focused mainly on three periods: the Middle Ages, the Sixteenth Century and, although less than might be expected, the Seventeenth Century. The history of the cultural and economical developments in the Dutch Golden Age had yet to be written and most novelists were not willing and/or ...
In the nineteenth century readers had a clear picture of content, source and – increasingly – the... more In the nineteenth century readers had a clear picture of content, source and – increasingly – the form of a ‘roman’: a happy-ending love story was at the core of the work; the work was based on (the often mistrusted) free invention and certain artistic demands had to be fullfilled. When a work did not meet these requirements, designations as ‘verhaal’, ‘novelle’ or ‘tafereel’ were used. When, at the end of the nineteenth century, a love story was no longer required, the concept of ‘fiction’ became current, and the artistic demands were unleashed, the genre designation ‘roman’ could be used freely, but these developments made it superfluous as well.
... Toos Streng, '“Materialisme” in de Nederlandse kunst-en literatuurbeschouwing tussen 183... more ... Toos Streng, '“Materialisme” in de Nederlandse kunst-en literatuurbeschouwing tussen 1835 en 1860' Page 15. ... Een onderzoek naar het literaire denken over de verbeelding - van Van Alphen tot Verwey (dissertatie Amsterdam 1992) 158-160. ...
Religious and civic realism. A comparison between the novel poetics of De Tijdspiegel and De Gids... more Religious and civic realism. A comparison between the novel poetics of De Tijdspiegel and De Gids In the second half of the nineteenth century, the monthly magazine De Tijdspiegel (established in 1844) developed a novel poetics that could be described as 'religious realism' to distinguish it from the more liberal 'bourgeois realism'. Like the liberals, De Tijdspiegel attached great importance to the modern novel, but the magazine rejected the liberal separation of the spheres of life (and thus art for art's sake), their view of mankind and the world, and their empiricism. De Tijdspiegel reverted to Jean Paul's humour theory, as it had been introduced in the Netherlands in 1820 by Weiland. This theory of humour determined the form and content of the magazine, as well as their mutual interdependence, which would repeatedly lead to problems of interpretation. According to the Christian humourists' view of mankind, the weak individual, making his way in an imperfect world, could only rise above himself through religion. Only through (Christian) religion the author, who should always be characterised as the (omniscient) narrator in the text, could elevate the world and mankind to a true 'humanity'. The importance of this, often ironic, 'religious realism' should not be underestimated. The religious aspect has perhaps been proven indispensable, but to this day the novel's ability to increase 'sympathy' is regarded as a crucial quality of this genre.
Hi sto r ica is een uitgave van de Ver en iging vo o r V r o uw engesch ied enis en verschijn t i... more Hi sto r ica is een uitgave van de Ver en iging vo o r V r o uw engesch ied enis en verschijn t in febr uar i, juni, sep te mber en okto ber. Hoofdredacti e Zonne ke N atth ee Redactie dr s. Marije Gr o a s dr s. Marijk e H uisman dr s. Lizzy Jongm a dr s. Hillie van de Stree k Redactie-adres Scho kke rwerf I 2 3 17 DM Leide n
Een natuurlijke orde? : vrouwen en vrouwelijkheid in de negentiende eeuw , 1998
Hi sto r ica is een uitgave van de Ver en iging vo o r V r o uw engesch ied enis en verschijn t i... more Hi sto r ica is een uitgave van de Ver en iging vo o r V r o uw engesch ied enis en verschijn t in febr uar i, juni, sep te mber en okto ber. Hoofdredacti e Zonne ke N atth ee Redactie dr s. Marije Gr o a s dr s. Marijk e H uisman dr s. Lizzy Jongm a dr s. Hillie van de Stree k Redactie-adres Scho kke rwerf I 2 3 17 DM Leide n
Most research on the reception of foreign literature takes an author-focused approach. In this ar... more Most research on the reception of foreign literature takes an author-focused approach. In this article I elaborate on the opportunities created by the combination of an institutional and genre-focused approach. In the 19th century, Dutch translations of French novels were relatively rare. This is by and large explained by the fact that many Dutch readers were able to appreciate these novels in their original language. The funds of the 65 most prominent Dutch publishing houses from 1790 – 1899 indicate that, beginning in 1840, two categories of publishers can be distinguished: those which translated French novels and those that did not. Translations from French were published largely by those publishers serving the lower social class of literary society (more specifically: circulating libraries of lower social status). Most publishing houses that chose not to translate French novels did so not because such translations were superfluous but because they were deemed undesirable by the ...
Tijdschrift Voor Nederlandse Taal-en Letterkunde, 2013
– This article elaborates on the importance of the French novel in Holland between 1830 and 1875.... more – This article elaborates on the importance of the French novel in Holland between 1830 and 1875. Its poetic significance is inversely proportional to the number of translations. Novels translated from French were deemed inappropriate for reading societies and the supply remained limited to novels of lower quality, that were bought by less distinguished reading libraries. However, the French novel was indispensable for the debate on poetics. The increasing importance of the novel as a genre necessitated critics to develop a poetic of the novel, but their ethos inhibited a sharp debate on the work of contemporary Dutch authors. French authors and their novels, however, were freely discussed in Dutch elite magazines. As a result, the French novel was not seen only as an evil, but a necessary evil, that in the Netherlands of the nineteenth century served an artistic, polemic and social purpose. Moreover is shown that author-focused reception studies will easily lead to false conclusions.
Tijdschrift Voor Nederlandse Taal-en Letterkunde, 2017
According to book historian Laurens van Krevelen, belle lettres in the nineteenth century was a m... more According to book historian Laurens van Krevelen, belle lettres in the nineteenth century was a marginal publishing sector that existed by the grace of enthusiastic individuals and internal financing. In this contribution, van Krevelen’s thesis from 2003 is examined in the light of the purchasing policy of the Uitgevers-Maatschappij Elsevier (Publishing Company) founded in 1880. It showed that, up to 1865, the potential market for belle lettres was indeed limited, but fairly predictable. Also, the market for literature was larger than the one for ‘light reading’. After 1865, the individual-buyer’s market grew steadily, which caused expectations for the potential belle lettres market to rise considerably. However, in the course of the 1880s, the capricious and unpredictable nature of the mass market became apparent. Not until the end of the nineteenth century did literature become a marginal activity in the publishing sector, which could only exist on account of internal financing.
Genres help readers to decide what to read and how to read it. This article researches which aspe... more Genres help readers to decide what to read and how to read it. This article researches which aspects were highlighted by the genre designations in the (sub)titles of the circa 6700 original Dutch and translated novels, published in the Netherlands between 1790 and 1899. It turns out that the labels (among others) indicated where to place the text on the scale of truth versus invention. This is shown by an analysis, firstly of the meaning of the genre designation ‘historical novel’ and, secondly, by the way Dutch publishers dealt with genre-designations in the titles of translated novels. Moreover, these cases show a substantial difference between the Dutch and German genre system on the one hand and the Anglo-Saxon genre system on the other, a distinction that is lost when around 1900 the concept of ‘fiction’ became common in the Netherlands.
The sharp increase in the production of printed matter is an important aspect of what is commonly... more The sharp increase in the production of printed matter is an important aspect of what is commonly referred to as the ‘communication revolution’ of the nineteenth century. Several explanations for this increase have been suggested (technical innovations, population increase, increase in the number of book stores, increasing literacy and other political and cultural factors), but none have shown conclusive connections. My research argues that between 1790 and 1899, both in the short and long term, a clear correlation exists between the increased production of novels in the Netherlands and the (expected) increase in disposable income. Exceptions in this regard are the early years of the ‘Bataafse Republiek’ (primacy of politics), the French period between 1810-1814 (censorship) and the period 1846-1847 (politicizing of the novel). Furthermore my research shows that the development of the publishing industry is no different than the development of other fields of Dutch entrepreneurship:...
Tijdschrift Voor Nederlandse Taal-en Letterkunde, 2015
Although the critical appreciation of the historical novel in the nineteenth century strongly flu... more Although the critical appreciation of the historical novel in the nineteenth century strongly fluctuated under the influence of literary historical, historiographical and ideological developments, the genre remained so popular that Dutch authors could not meet the demand at any point in time. Especially German-speaking authors were translated. A detailed statistical comparison of the originally Dutch and the translated historical novels that were published in The Netherlands between 1790 and 1899 brings some typical characteristics of the Dutch historical novel to light. 1) Typically Dutch is the neglect of the Eighteenth Century and – compared to the originally German novels – Antiquity. Dutch authors focused mainly on three periods: the Middle Ages, the Sixteenth Century and, although less than might be expected, the Seventeenth Century. The history of the cultural and economical developments in the Dutch Golden Age had yet to be written and most novelists were not willing and/or ...
In the nineteenth century readers had a clear picture of content, source and – increasingly – the... more In the nineteenth century readers had a clear picture of content, source and – increasingly – the form of a ‘roman’: a happy-ending love story was at the core of the work; the work was based on (the often mistrusted) free invention and certain artistic demands had to be fullfilled. When a work did not meet these requirements, designations as ‘verhaal’, ‘novelle’ or ‘tafereel’ were used. When, at the end of the nineteenth century, a love story was no longer required, the concept of ‘fiction’ became current, and the artistic demands were unleashed, the genre designation ‘roman’ could be used freely, but these developments made it superfluous as well.
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