Research master thesis | Literary Studies (research) (MA)
open access
In popular culture, the European Middle Ages (ca. 500-1500) are commonly portrayed as a culturally homogenous time period in which the supremacy of the white, heterosexual male is taken for granted...Show moreIn popular culture, the European Middle Ages (ca. 500-1500) are commonly portrayed as a culturally homogenous time period in which the supremacy of the white, heterosexual male is taken for granted. This makes the period attractive to the far-right, whose members view the Middle Ages as an alternative to our modern, multicultural times. In the past, Medieval imagery and rhetoric have consequently been appropriated by groups and individuals ranging from the Ku Klux Klan and the Nazis to Anders Breivik, the Charlottesville protesters and Vladimir Putin. In this thesis, Guus van der Peet examines how the appropriation of history has taken place in the Dutch Language Area. He analyses four case studies: 1) an antisemitic sequel to the Middle Dutch classic Vanden Vos Reinarde; 2) the academic publications of Jan de Vries, a national-socialist professor in Leiden; 3) two Youtube videos from the Flemish far-right student association Schild & Vrienden; 4) two speeches by alt-right politician Thierry Baudet. In the end, Van der Peet concludes that there is a significant difference between the Flemish and Dutch appropriation of the past. Whereas the Flemish far-right repeatedly references the Middle Ages, the Dutch far-right deviates from the international tradition by instead appropriating the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.Show less
Research master thesis | Literary Studies (research) (MA)
open access
The German Schlager of the 1920s is often disregarded as a medium for entertainment purposes only. This thesis shows that it was also used as a medium for expressing critique.
Research master thesis | Literary Studies (research) (MA)
closed access
In deze scriptie onderzoek ik de circulatie van toneel tussen de Republiek en Batavia in de periode 1757-1771 (de jaren waarin in Batavia een schouwburg bestond). Mijn onderzoek laat zien dat de...Show moreIn deze scriptie onderzoek ik de circulatie van toneel tussen de Republiek en Batavia in de periode 1757-1771 (de jaren waarin in Batavia een schouwburg bestond). Mijn onderzoek laat zien dat de Nederlandse toneelcultuur een wereldwijde verspreiding kende in de achttiende eeuw. Het toneel uit de Bataviase schouwburg bedient zich van strategieën om de Nederlandse koloniale macht in Oost-Indië te rechtvaardigen. Opvallend hierbij is dat het kolonialisme niet zoals in de negentiende eeuw mede-verantwoord wordt vanuit een beschavingsideaal. Kolonialisme wordt gerechtvaardigd op economische gronden.Show less
Research master thesis | Literary Studies (research) (MA)
open access
Dutch Antillean writer Boeli van Leeuwen is strikingly absent in the study of Dutch postcolonial literature, despite his status as one of Dutch' most important Caribbean authors. Till this day,...Show moreDutch Antillean writer Boeli van Leeuwen is strikingly absent in the study of Dutch postcolonial literature, despite his status as one of Dutch' most important Caribbean authors. Till this day, only a few articles have been devoted to Van Leeuwen's oeuvre. In this thesis, I aim to formulate an answer to the question: in what way do Van Leeuwen's novels 'Schilden van leem' en 'Het teken van Jona' generate meaning? Why is it that 'plain facts' are insufficient to tackle these works? In my analysis I am proposing six possible readings that account for Van Leeuwen's novels that are overflowing with meaning. By studying their use of intertextuality, allegory, irony, Relation, metafiction and 'Caribbeanness,' I attempt to make the abundance productive that the reader encounters. In my conclusion I will argue that Van Leeuwen is ultimately reflecting on knowledge itself, since his writing constantly redirects the reader, without allowing a singular interpretation. The multiple voices, languages and traditions brought forth resist the monotonous and unambiguous discourse of the referential readings. Van Leeuwens fictional reality ultimately points towards itself and demonstrates the fiction hiding behind so-called plain facts.Show less
Research master thesis | Literary Studies (research) (MA)
closed access
La Bible des sept éstaz du monde de Geufroi de Paris fait partie d’une série de « Bibles intégrales », dont l’édition est l’objet des études de l’Équipe de Leyde’, formée en 1962 par Jean-Robert...Show moreLa Bible des sept éstaz du monde de Geufroi de Paris fait partie d’une série de « Bibles intégrales », dont l’édition est l’objet des études de l’Équipe de Leyde’, formée en 1962 par Jean-Robert Smeets † et continuée par Julia C. Szirmai. Dans ce mémoire de master, nous présenterons une édition du texte du Ms. BnF Fr. 1526 fol. 179r-182v, partie du Ms. mentionné par quelques auteurs, qui n’a pas été édité en entier jusqu’ici. Cette sixième partie de la Bible contient une description de l’Antéchrist, traitant la conversion des Juifs et la mort de Antéchrist, ainsi que le Jugement dernier, l’enfer et le paradis. Dans la deuxième partie de notre mémoire, nous essayerons d’apporter quelque lumière sur les sources possibles de cette partie du texte de Geufroi de Paris.Show less
Research master thesis | Literary Studies (research) (MA)
open access
Humor is so present in XVIIIth century libertine literature that it could be considered an essential part of its reading experience. However very few critics have shown interest in this fundamental...Show moreHumor is so present in XVIIIth century libertine literature that it could be considered an essential part of its reading experience. However very few critics have shown interest in this fundamental aspect of these texts, concentrating either on their serious or erotic content. This thesis aims to buck this trend and show the importance and value of humor in XVIIIth century libertine literature and how to better represent it in literary criticism. To this aim, the libertine texts are read against the backdrop of the main critical currents between the XVIIIth and the XXIst century, attempting to show which aspect of humor have been favored or ignored. A postmodern “ironic reading” of libertine literature is proposed as a way to offer a newer perspective on these works and show nuanced and more complex degrees of humor in the XVIIIth century texts. As a result, it is made clear that though seriousness has been a guiding principle for literary criticism so far, humor deserves a place in the study of libertine literature, especially today as postmodern tools allow a refinement in the understanding of the humor in these texts.Show less
