Tijdschrift voor Nederlandse Taal- en Letterkunde

Jaap Grave

Liefde in het labyrint. Napels als heterotoop in Margriet de Moors roman De Virtuoos (1993)

Abstract -- In her novel De Virtuoos (1993) Margriet de Moor succeeds to integrate both characteristics of modernism and postmodernism. Modernistic seems to be that the main character, Carlotta, is close to reach heaven on earth in Naples. And secondly, although the novel may look at first sight a historical one, due to its historical context, it can also be read on a less realistic level if we consider Naples to be a so called heterotopia. Within this postmodern framework, Naples appears to be a city in which the earthly world, the metaphysical world and the underworld are melting together, like the creatures that inhabit them. Finally, also the way in which the myth of Orpheus is intertwined within the narrative/plot, shows how Carlotta is conscient about the fact that she only plays a role in an exisiting scenario that surrouds her.

TNTL 122-2 (juni 2006), 160-176