Diluted Elsschot? Aspects of ‘Cynicism’ in Twentieth-century Dutch Literature

Abstract

This article explores some aspects of ‘cynicism’ in twentieth-century Dutch literature. Different uses of the concept in the critical reception of Willem Elsschot are analyzed and placed in the wider context of literature and literary criticism in Dutch during the interwar period and the Second World War. Against this backdrop, Willy van Cauwenberg's essay Het Cynisme in de moderne Vlaamsche Letteren (Cynicism in Modern Flemish Letters, 1942) and John Hendriks's novel Huwelijk zonder Kinderen (“Marriage Without Children, 1941) are dealt with in two concise case-studies. By way of conclusion, three areas for further research are briefly presented: Elsschot's significance for a younger generation of writers, the role of ‘cynicism’ in interwar and Second World War literature, and its lasting presence in the post-war era.