De revanche van de populaire cultuur. Literatuur, nieuwe media en smaak

Samenvatting

Abstract – In reaction to Thomas Vaessens’ De revanche van de roman, this article emphasises the importance of popular culture to contemporary novels in Dutch. Applying Jim Collins’ account of ‘popular literary culture’ in the US to recent Dutch and Flemish literature, the article analyses the interaction between literary reading and popular culture in novels by Marjolijn Februari, Christiaan Weijts, Joost Vandecasteele and Jeroen Brouwers. What is ultimately crucial about these novels, it is argued, is not the distinction between novels that embrace and that distance themselves from popular culture but the shared interest in new media and quality consumerism (food, fashion, tourism).