Gruwelen met Grunberg. Een stilistische analyse van tijd en aspect in De asielzoeker

Samenvatting

This article presents an exploration into the style of Arnon Grunberg’s novel De asielzoeker (The Asylum Seeker, 2003). Using a linguistic approach to style, my analysis will point at salient stylistic features such as repetition, simile and aphorisms. I will focus on the grammatical level and look at tense and aspect, which shows itself in Grunberg’s use of verbs, adverbs and nouns. It turns out that De asielzoeker shows a marked use of the present tense. Present tense verbs, which normally refer to actions in the here and now, are frequently used in a non-active and generic way, creating an effect of timelessness, formality and generality. These stylistic effects play an important role in the literary interpretation of the novel.