Die onbenul van negentig: Nederlandse lettere en identiteit met verwysing na Charlotte Mutsaers en Nelleke Noordervliet

Abstract

In this contribution it is argued that the inanity so prevalent in Dutch prose texts of the 1990s may be attributed to underlying currents of contemporary Dutch and/or global mythology. Guided by the trends and tendencies of Dutch literature of the 1990s, Charlotte Mutsaers’ Rachels rokje (Rachel’s Little Skirt) and Nelleke Noordervliet’s Uit het paradijs (Out of Paradise) have been selected for in-depth analysis in order to show that the widespread fatuity and cheerlessness could be related not only to (Dutch) cultural identity, but also to aspects of Zeitgeist. The insights yielded by this analysis are supplemented by ample reference to other Dutch language novels published during (and after) the decade in question, especially texts associated with Nix (Generation-X). It is hoped that this article will contribute to a deeper understanding of the recent past, particularly as it manifested itself in Dutch novels.