TNTL 118/4

Dennis Schleijpen

Kijken in Nooit meer slapen

Abstract -- In W.F. Hermans’s novel Nooit meer slapen (1966) Alfred Issendorf sets out on a harsh scientific expedition through the most desolate part of Norway, ironically in vain. This article will investigate the occurring theme of science in relation to Alfred’s (in)ability to see, physically as well as mentally. Some well known elements of the novel will be analyzed by new means: the concepts of time’s cycle and time’s arrow. It is argued that in fact one can speak about a mythification of science, judged by Alfred’s ‘elevating’ quest, and by the discrepancy between reality and the representation of reality.

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