While the gothic novel flourished in English, American, German and French literature, Dutch literature seems to have abstained from this controversial genre until well into the twentieth century. It is true that the necessary translations were published, but home-grown products seem almost non-existent. This introductory study defends the claim that this situation changed during the 1950s. Initially, Willem Frederik Hermans and Gerard van het Reve in particular appropriate literary strategies and motifs from the Gothic tradition, later Hella Haasse, Helga Ruebsamen, Renate Dorrestein, Vonne van der Meer, Frans Kellendonk, Thomas Rosenboom and Herman Franke, among others. In this respect, Dutch literature is part of an extensive international trend. |