Vestdijk's 'Symfonie van Victor Slingeland'

Abstract

The thesis constitutes a study of the trilogy of novels by Simon Vestdijk entitled Symfonie van Victor Slingeland. It is an evaluation and interpretation of the novels based on the theory that the author is an extremely self-aware, self- conscious writer, and that this fact is vital in determining the nature of the novels and the two main characters. Chapter 1 shows how Vestdijk is conscious of his own role as a novelist, which finds expression in the inclusion of a novelist character, S, who is himself engaged in writing during the course of the books. There are various parallels in modern European literature, most notably Andre Gide's Les Faux-monnayeurs. and the comparison serves to throw light on the Dutch novels, Vestdijk's self-awareness extends to his position as an artist: both his position as an artist in society, and his position with regard to other artists and art-forms. This in turn finds expression in the trilogy, firstly in the characters of S and Slingeland, and secondly in the interaction of these two main characters. I have dealt with these two points in two separate ways. Chapter 2 is an analysis of the individual characters of S and Victor Slingeland, and of thar relationship from a psychological point of view. Chapter 3 treats them as individual representatives of artists in general and also of different branches of art. The aim was to present a study of these novels based on a theory about the author, for which the study itself in turn provides the evidence, my conclusion being that my hypotheses i) Vestdijk is a self-conscious writer, and ii) this is the main factor governing the 'ontstaan' of the novel and its form, were correct.