Abstract
Today, Multatuli (1820-1887) is considered as one of the most important Dutch
writers. His stance towards literature, however, was highly ambivalent. At the one
hand, he realised that writing fiction was the best way to gain personal and
political attention. At the same time, he highly mistrusted the instrument of
(sentimental) fiction to engage readers. The same ambivalence dominates his
presentation as a writer: Multatuli mythologized himself, but he also argued for a
sincere, ‘authentic’ writership. In my presentation, I want to analyze these seemly
contradictory ideas about fictionalizing the world and the self. Some concepts in
literary sociology, such as ‘posture’ (Jérôme Meizoz) or ‘the double life of
writers’ (Bernard Lahire) help to understand the logic of Multatuli’s ideas about
fiction.
writers. His stance towards literature, however, was highly ambivalent. At the one
hand, he realised that writing fiction was the best way to gain personal and
political attention. At the same time, he highly mistrusted the instrument of
(sentimental) fiction to engage readers. The same ambivalence dominates his
presentation as a writer: Multatuli mythologized himself, but he also argued for a
sincere, ‘authentic’ writership. In my presentation, I want to analyze these seemly
contradictory ideas about fictionalizing the world and the self. Some concepts in
literary sociology, such as ‘posture’ (Jérôme Meizoz) or ‘the double life of
writers’ (Bernard Lahire) help to understand the logic of Multatuli’s ideas about
fiction.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Current Issues in European Cultural Studies |
| Subtitle of host publication | June 15–17, Norrköping, Sweden 2011 |
| Editors | M. Frederiksson |
| Place of Publication | Linköping |
| Publisher | Linköping University Electronic Press |
| Pages | 467-473 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-91-7519-993-1 |
| Publication status | Published - 15 Jun 2011 |
Publication series
| Name | Linköping Electronic Conference Proceedings |
|---|---|
| Volume | 62 |
| ISSN (Print) | 1650-3686 |
| ISSN (Electronic) | 1650-3740 |