TNTL 118/3

Jeroen Paalvast

Erosie in Nooit meer slapen

Abstract -- In W.F. Hermans’s novel Nooit meer slapen (1966) protagonist Alfred Issendorf explores the most inhospitable part of Norway, obsessionally trying to build up a reputation as an outstanding geologist. His purpose clashes with the elements of an apparently cruel landscape and with the memory of his dead father. This article concentrates on the geological concept of erosion which leads to an analogy between psychology and geology. To do so a comparison is made between Freud’s interpretation of Jensen’s novel Gradiva (1910) and Nooit meer slapen.

| MNL Homepage | TNTL |