Genre in verandering. Vernieuwingen in de naoorlogse Nederlandstalige roman

This article deals with the novel as a paradoxical and dynamic genre. It first circumscribes the 'generic space' of the novel in terms of three characteristics. The second step unravels the mechanisms that determine the labeling of novels as 'traditional' or 'experimental'. To reach that aim, the article combines the theories of Pierre Bourdieu, Linda Hutcheon, Stephen Greenblatt, and Raymond Williams. The approach developed in this way is implemented in the third chapter, which presents a dynamic view of various currents (modernism, neo-avant-garde, and postmodernism) in postwar Dutch fiction. By combining the 'horizontal' evolution within each current with the 'vertical' interaction between those currents, the article shows the changing hierarchies and relations between the various currents. © 2014 by Spiegel der Letteren. All rights reserved.

Publication year:2014