Homeopathy of the Absurd: The Grotesque in Paul van Ostaijen’s Creative Prose

205 Pages·1970·7.94 MB·English

by  E. M. Beekman (auth.)

HOMEOPATHY OF THE ABSURD
BIBLIOTHECA NEERLANDICA EXTRA MUROS
Published under the auspices of
the Working Committee of Professors and Lecturers of Dutch Language and Literature at
Universities outside the Netherlands and Belgium
I
E. M. BEEKMAN
HOMEOPATHY OF THE ABSURD
Editorial board:
Dr. P. Brachin (Paris), Dr. J. M. Jalink (formerly Bonn), Dr. J. E. Loubser (Port Elizabeth),
Dr. L. E. Schmitt (Marburg), F. P. Thomassen (The Hague), Dr. W. Thys (Lille),
G. de Vries (Copenhague), Dr. Th. Weevers (London).
Paul van Ostayen, 1896 -1928
HOMEOPATHY OF T'HE ABSURD
The Grotesque in Paul van Ostaijen's Creative Prose
by
E. M. BEEKMAN
SPRINGER-SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, B.V.
ISBN 978-94-017-0038-2 ISBN 978-94-015-7580-5 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-94-015-7580-5
© 1970 by Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
Originally published by Marlinus Nijbolf. Tb8 Hague. Netbe1'lands in 1970
All rights reserved, including the right to translate or to
reproduce this book or parts thereof in any form
To N. F KOOISTRA
in loco parentis
T ABLE OF CONTENTS
FOREWORD vn
A LABYRINTH FOR OUR TIMES 1
UNITY OF THEME: A ToPOGRAPHY OF THE GROTESQUE 18
The World of Van Ostaijen's Grotesques: Syphilization 27
Strata of the Grotesque World 30
Politics of Corruption 30
Economics of Inflation 36
Warfare as a Platonic Ideal 37
The Bourgeois as the Perfect Grotesque Citizen 39
Art as a Grotesque Irrelevancy 46
The Grotesque as a Morbidly Sexual Universe 49
Sex and Cerebrality 49
Sexuality as a Force of Destruction 51
The Female as Hetaera and as Invincible Succubus 54
A Grotesque Democracy 57
A Grotesque with a Difference: the Rebellion of Josef la Tour 61
TIm STYLE OF THE GROTESQUES; A DESCRIPTION OF
LINGUISTIC SUBVERSION 72
Anarrative Narrations 72
Syntax as Meaning 85
Deformation 87
Repetition 88
Contradiction 90
Arguments of Absurdity 93
Language as a Game of Destruction 98
Ludic Language 100
THE FINAL PHASE; VAN OSTAIJEN'S LYRICAL PROSE AS A
LANGUAGE OF PERCEPTION 109
Metonymic Art: Roman J akobson and Paul van Ostaijen 110
VIII TABLE OF CONTENT
Phenomenology: The Adventure of Consciousness 113
Husserl: "zu den Sachen selbst" 115
Heidegger: to ek-sist 119
Merleau-Ponty: The Wonder of Perception 121
Bachelard: Towards a Phenomenology of the Imagination 124
Franz Kafka and Paul van Ostaijen 126
Van Ostaijen's Translations of Kafka 127
Kafka's Irreverent Mythology as Opposed to Van Ostaijen's
Living Myth of the Sirens 130
Kandinsky's Theory and Van Ostaijen's Poemata 132
"Curious Attack" or the Description of a Battle between
Abstract Colors 133
"Aquarelle": The Fingers' Dream and Their Abortive
Rebellion 143
The Coda of "Small Forest": Colors of Equilibrium 147
Phenomenological "Poemata" 149
"Lines", "Nicolas", "Obsequies": The Realization of
"Meontologie" 149
"Lines": Presentiment of Non-Being 149
"Nicolas": Fearful Recognition of Non-Being 154
"Obsequies": Acceptance of Non-Being 159
"0 Thou, My Splendid Solitude": The Fullness of Being 163
"Small Forest": The Phenomenon of Light as Metonymic Art 166
ApPENDICES 169
CHRONOLOGY OF PAUL VAN OSTAIJEN's CREATIVE PROSE 181
BIBLIOGRAPHY 185
NOTES 188
FOREWORD
In many ways a "first," the present study would not be in print without the
gracious aid of a number of individuals from both sides of the Atlantic. In
the U.S., where this volume constitutes a venture into a literary terra incog
nita, I am indebted to the unflagging support and encouragement of a true
gentleman and eminent scholar, Professor Harry Levin. His understanding
and humanity will always remain a priceless memory. Professors Henry Hat
field, J. Craig La Driere and Seymour Flaxman were generous with their time
and invaluable advice.
The Low Countries were very good to me. Despite his demanding schedule,
Prof. Dr. Walter Thys did more than one could normally expect - even from
a friend. With such a tireless champion, the international reputation of Dutch
Literature should grow with leaps and bounds. The loss of Prof. Dr. Herman
Uyttersprot is a grievous one, personally as well as for the profession. To
have gained the acquaintance of the great poet Maurice Gilliams is nothing
less than an honor. Conversing with him was a liberal education.
Doing research in Belgium as a Fulbright Fellow for 1965-1966 under
the auspices of the United States Educational Foundation in Belgium, was
made so much easier by Professor Antoine van Elslander and the staff of
Het Seminarie voor Nederlandse Literatuurstudie at the University of
Ghent and Drs. L. Simons, Director of Antwerp's Archie! en Museum voor
het Vlaamse Cultuurleven. The Flemish writer Paul de Vree was, and still
is, of great help and remains loyal to Van Ostaijen's cause and his heritage.
I am grateful to Drs. Gerrit Borgers, the well-known Van Ostaijen expert,
who has been most courteous and generous to me in my efforts to make
Van Ostaijen, if not known, at least appreciated by a selected few in the
United States. Hence it is a pleasure to acknowledge the existence of some
enlightened editors of American periodicals where a number of the trans
lations in the Appendix appeared before in different form: Mundus Artium,
The Massachusetts Review, New Directions Anthology 21 and The Chicago
Review.
x FOREWORD
It is not an easy task to see a work of this nature through the press when
the author is some 3000 miles away. Dr. H. J. H. Hartgerink, Director of
the Martinus Nijhoff Publishing Company, can only be commended for his
patience, expertise and cooperation in making the whole process a pleasant
experience.
The man to whom this work is dedicated deserves more than this small
token of my love for him. May it be an indication that his wisdom during
those difficult years has been justified. My love for Sir Google is gathering
interest over the years and only I can gauge the debt lowe Aida Salome,
que para mi es "el silencio impone su limpidez concreta."