"Colossal through Poetry". Lyricisation in Fin de Siecle Prose

The prose work of the authors belonging to the second generation of Van Nu en Straks, born between 1870 and 1880, is often characterised as "poetical" of "lyrical". This is often a retorical strategy: the poetry-like quality puts the text at a distance from naturalism. This article argues that there are inherent characteristics of the texts as well that can be linked with Werner Wolf's prototypical characteristics of the lyrical: syntax deviates due to it's enumerative character; vocabulary is marked due to the use of dialect or neologisms, there is the play with sounds and the time of the story slows down considerably. It is not easy to identify the sources that inspired this remarkable style. On the one hand, the appearance of the group around De Nieuwe Gids in Holland made quite an impression. On the other hand, there is the impact of a local tradition, represented by Guido Gezelle, that was, especially for Streuvels and Teirlinck, of major importance.