'Elke titel een nieuw geschreven schrede'. De rol van titels in de compositie en perceptie van het oeuvre van Ivo Michiels.

Van Hecke, Ruth
(2025) Spiegel der Letteren : tijdschrift voor Nederlandse literatuurgeschiedenis en voor literatuurwetenschap — Vol. 67, n° 1, p. 95-119 (2025)

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The Flemish writer Ivo Michiels (1923-2012) is not only regarded as one of most important experimental authors, but also as an example par excellence of an oeuvre writer. This article explores how Michiels’ literary works are intentionally structured to be an oeuvre, emphasizing the importance of titles as pivotal elements that shape this perception. Through an analysis of recurring syntactic patterns and semantic fields, I demonstrate how these titles create a coherent framework that transcends individual works. Key themes and motives, such as the obsession with the endless new beginning and the impact of war, recur across titles, reinforcing a sense of unity and continuity. The cyclical nature of Michiels’ titles, in which each new title emerges from the previous one, not only continuously marks a new beginning but also enriches the overarching poetic narrative. This article aims to contribute to the existing scholarship on Michiels by highlighting the role of titles in constructing an oeuvre and enhancing the thematic and stylistic coherence of his body of work.
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Van Hecke, R. (2025). ‘Elke titel een nieuw geschreven schrede’. De rol van titels in de compositie en perceptie van het oeuvre van Ivo Michiels. Spiegel der Letteren : tijdschrift voor Nederlandse literatuurgeschiedenis en voor literatuurwetenschap, 67(1), 95-119. https://doi.org/10.2143/SDL.67.1.3294578 (Original work published 2025)