Gothic in literature :: Centre for Gender and Diversity

Gothic in literature

The Appearance of the Gothic in Contemporary Dutch Literature (1975-2000)

Agnes Andeweg (e-mail)
Universiteit Maastricht
Centre for Gender and Diversity

The shortest way to summarize the formulation of the problem of this research is by posing a question. What role does the gothic play in contemporary Dutch literature? Firstly, this is a question about the effect of the gothic and about the cultural work accomplished in those novels, to use a phrase by Jane Tompkins. Secondly, it is a question about the possible reasons for the appearance of gothic elements in Dutch novels at the end of the Twentieth Century; and consequently it is a question about links with the historical and social context within which the novels which are the objects of our research appear. This research will try to provide an answer to both questions.

The gothic or horror novel usually has the origin of its literary genre placed at the end of the Eighteenth Century. It is characterized by its setting on the edge of civilization with supernatural apparitions, sexual excesses (incest, rape) and/or violence. In other words the gothic novel is extreme in all manners of ways in its depiction of conflict. The British gothic novel can be read as a way to reach The Enlightenment, to see the changes brought about by the Agricultural Revolution, as well as the fear for modern science or the all too liberated sexuality. The gothic is not so much a representation of the shadow sides of The Enlightenment but rather of the ambivalences which accompany the process of modernization in the broadest sense of the word. This means that one can find both nostalgia and belief in progress, as well as conservatism and desire for renewal.

The gothic appears to be a persistent cultural strategy which is not only found in literature nowadays but also in pop music, games, films and subculture. This research focuses on occurrence of the gothic in Dutch literature. It analyses the effect of the gothic on modern Dutch novels (1975-2000). The work of Vonne van der Meer (De avondboot - The Evening Boat), Manon Uphoff (De bastaard - The Bastard), Hella Haasse (Fenrir), Willem Brakman (Glubkes oordeel - Glubkes Judgment), Renate Dorrestein (Noorderzon - Northern Sun), Thomas Rosenboom (Vriend van verdienste - Friend of Merit), Frans Kellendonk (Letter en geest, een spookverhaal - Letter and Spirit, a Ghost Story) and Gerard Reve (De vierde man - The Fourth Man) are objects of research. Their writings contain unmistakable gothic elements in the form of a typically gothic setting, intertextual references to classic gothic novels or characteristics borrowed from this genre such as phantoms, secret chambers or gruesome happenings. What are the types of suspense portrayed in these contemporary novels, and how can we link these fictional representations to the social context of The Netherlands of the late Twentieth Century?

The starting point of this research lies in the Seventies, a period in which many cultural conventions appeared to be undermined under the influence of the sexual revolution, the second feminist wave and the democratization movement (Costera Meijer 1996, Ribberink 1998). Views on masculinity and femininity started to change substantially, the ideologically compartmentalized Dutch society disappeared and individualization increased. That is the reason why the period between 1975 and 2000 lends itself very well and is very interesting to investigate gothic representations in literary prose. What were the shadow sides of all these changes and (how) are these represented in the novels from that period? Were there actually still any taboos left after all the emancipation, liberation and democratization which had taken place in so many areas of life? In short, what meanings must be accorded to (the occurrence of) gothic elements in novels from that period?