National Imagery in 19th Century Flemish Literature

Abstract

From 1830 onwards, Flemish literature played a prominent role in the shaping of a Flemish subnational identity within the larger Belgian nation-state. This evolution was inspired by the then prevalent Romantic ideas about national culture and the Volksgeist [Genius of the People] which were combined with the new ideas in the natural sciences to yield a specifically Flemish national esthetics. Religion too played an important albeit controversial role: for Catholic writers with pro-Flemish feelings it assumed a central place, but for the unbelievers it was a real stumbling block. The extensive literary production in Flanders between 1830 and 1890 was crucial in shaping the self-image of the Flemish middle class¹.