Abstract
The first motivation for reading Karel Schoeman’s novel ’n Ander land within the framework of late nineteenth century Western European decadcnt literature is the strong resemblance between Schoeman's character Versluis and Des Esseintes, main character of the so-called Bible of Decadence, namely Joris- Karl Huysmans’ A Rebours (1884). Schoeman’s cultivated narrative style, his use of archaic Dutch and French words and the fact that this novel h as 'no story’, confirm the affinity of ’n Ander land with the decadent literary tradition as established by Huysmans’ plotless novel. The ultimate vision communicated in ’n Ander land is that death, like the landscape of Africa, is infinitely empty. The journey of the dying Versluis to Bloemfontein with its emphasis on intense heat and desolation and its affinities with Dante's Divina Commedia can be seen as a symbolic descent into hell, with the suggestion that Versluis will never reach paradise.
Highlights
T h e u ltim a te vision commun ic a te d in Vi Ander la n d is th a t death, like th e la n d sca peofA frica, is infinitely empty
The journey o f the dying Versluis to Bloem fontein with its em phasis on intense heat a n d desolation a n d its affinities with D ante's D ivina C om m edia can be seen as a sym bolic descent into hell, with the suggestion that Versluis will never reach paradise
Die hernieude belangstelling in die fin de s/êc/e-literatuur wat uit die verskyning van talle boeke, artikels en uit enkele referate hier en in E uropa blyk, plaas die fokus onder andere op die literêre fenom ene estetisisme en dekadensie
Summary
Die hernieude belangstelling in die fin de s/êc/e-literatuur wat uit die verskyning van talle boeke, artikels en uit enkele referate hier en in E uropa blyk, plaas die fokus onder andere op die literêre fenom ene estetisisme en dekadensie. O ok die dekadensie kan ’n mens kategoriseer as ’n literêre stroming wat sy bloei in 1884 in Frankryk bereik het, m et uitiopers in die letterkunde van m enige lande tot vandag toe, en ook in die A frikaanse letterkunde. De Deugd (1977) onderskei vyf hoofkenm erke wat vir horn tipies van die estetisistiesdekadente literatuur is:. Volgens De Deugd (1977:45) lê die oorgang van estetisisme na die "immediate realm of Decadence proper" dan veral vanaf die vierde punt, naamlik die eiesoortige dekadente tematiek, m aar hy beklem toon die feit dat so ’n onderskeid slegs by benadering as gids op bestaande werke toegepas kan word. Dit is dan ook in hierdie relatiewe sin dat De Deugd se onderskeiding van die begrippe estetisisme en dekadensie as norm aanvaar word
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