Telephone number:	+31 (0)71 527 2073
E-Mail:	s.v.fagel@hum.leidenuniv.nl
Faculty / Department:	Faculteit der Geesteswetenschappen, Institute for Cultural Disciplines, Moderne Nederlandse L&C
Office Address:	Witte Singel-complex P.N. van Eyckhof 1 2311 BV Leiden Room number 1.06b
Personal Homepage:	www.hum.leiden.edu/​icd/​organisation/​members/​fagelsv.html

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Fields of interest

·        Modern Dutch literature
·        19th and 20th century philosophy
·        Stylistics

Research

A recognizable style? Towards a scientific method for the stylistic analysis of literary prose
Terms used by literary critics in characterizing the style of novels are often impressionistic (‘baroque’, ‘austere’, ‘vivid’, ‘cerebral’ etc.). Foundations for such evaluations are usually not provided. A scientific way of studying and explaining style is lacking in present day Dutch Studies. My project aims to develop a scientific basis for discussing and explaining the style of literary novels.

Stylistics is an interdisciplinary research area, in which insights from linguistics and literary theory are combined. Linguistics will therefore play an important role in the development of a model for stylistic analysis. A linguistic ‘checklist’ – a Dutch version of the famous checklist developed by G. Leech and M. Short in Style in fiction (1980) – will be used to make an inventory of possibly relevant stylistic features (e.g. word order, hypotaxis, modality, figurative use of language). Insights from cognitive stylistics, and more generally from cognitive linguistics will be used to specify the effects of the features so identified.

I will undertake a stylistic analysis of six modern Dutch novels:

• Hafid Bouazza: Paravion (2003);
• Renate Dorrestein: Het duister dat ons scheidt (2003);
• Arnon Grunberg: Fantoompijn (2003);
• Hella Haasse: Sleuteloog (2002);
• Gerard Reve: Op weg naar het einde (1963);
• J.J. Voskuil: Het bureau (1996).

These are works by well known authors who have been praised by critics for their marked, identifiable styles. The main question to be answered, is: how does the style contribute to the interpretation of a novel? In other words: how do the formulations chosen (the micro-level) contribute to the macro-level of the text (understanding of the characters, and the overall development of the narrative: artistic goal, overall theme, aesthetic quality of the text, etc.) The six novels differ in their general character and in their themes. This makes comparative research worthwhile and it also allows us to answer the question whether this kind of analysis is possible for several variants of narrative. In the process, the model of analysis will be continuously adapted and refined.

NWO research project Stylistics of Dutch
My PhD research is part of the NWO research project Stylistics of Dutch (2007-2012) under the supervision of Prof. Arie Verhagen (Dutch Linguistics, Leiden University). For more information on the project, see: www.stylistics.leidenuniv.nl.

Curriculum Vitae

Suzanne Fagel is currently working as a PhD candidate at the department of Dutch Language and Culture at Leiden University. She studied Dutch Language and Culture in Leiden between 1997 and 2002. In 2002, she graduated (cum laude) in modern literature, on a stylistic and poetical investigation of the poems by the Flemish poet Herman de Coninck. In 2004 she completed (also cum laude) her Philosophy studies, with a MA-thesis on the concept of ‘literary influence’. From 2005 to 2007 she worked as editor and editor-in-chief of the professional journals Bouw en Veiligheid and Roofs (Mandate Publishers B.V., Akersloot). 

Teaching activities

BA-course (first year) Analysis and interpretation of literary texts (2008-2009)
BA-course (second year) Stylistics (2008-2009)

Publications

S.V. de Werd: ‘Normverandering versus evolutie: Het Getij (1916-1924) als modernistisch fenomeen’. In: Moderniteit: modernisme en massacultuur in Nederland 1914-1940. Red. Madelon de Keizer. Zutphen: Walburg Pers, 2004, p. 128-145, 378-379. (Jaarboek van het Nederlands Instituut voor Oorlogsdocumentatie 15). 

S.V. de Werd: ‘De dichter die geen beeldspraak meer wilde gebruiken: Herman de Coninck tussen romantiek en realisme’. In: Vooys 21 (2003) 1, p. 4-15.