Arrière-garde Perspectives on the History of Modern Literature: The Case of the Netherlands (1880-1940)

The history of Dutch literature between 1880 and 1940 has traditionally been described as a series of literary movements or generations in quick succession. Each generation is associated with a new, innovative literary programme that challenges and eventually replaces older aesthetic principles, only to be replaced itself by a still newer aesthetic paradigm some five, ten or twenty years later. In several articles, Dorleijn and Van den Akker (2003, 2006) have questioned the validity of this model with reference to Dutch literature. They think it improbable that a mere fifty-year period would have seen so many radical turnovers of literary values. As an alternative to a model based on discontinuity, they propose one that takes into account the gradual dissemination of new literary norms and the sociological factors influencing this process (Dorleijn & Van den Akker 2006: 100-102). In this essay, we examine how the concept of arrière-garde can help to develop this kind of approach to the dynamics of literature. As a case study, we use Elsevier’s Geïllustreerd Maandschrift (‘Elsevier’s Illustrated Monthly’), founded in 1891. After briefly outlining a theoretical framework based on the notion of arrière-garde, we analyze how the struggle between literary movements and generations is being represented in Elsevier’s, and how a notion as arrière-garde can be fruitfully applied to describe the position of such magazines, situated somewhat apart from the continual battle between successive movements and generations and playing an important role in the communication of literary ideas and norms to a broader public