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Document Details : Title: Elias en de rondedans. Subtitle: Protoversie van een romanfragment Author(s): VERMEULEN, Julien Journal: Spiegel der Letteren Volume: 44 Issue: 1 Date: 2002 Pages: 84-103 DOI: 10.2143/SDL.44.1.377 Abstract : The first chapter of Elias by Maurice Gilliams was published in 1933. Three years later the complete novel was released and from 1943 onwards the abridged edition quickly became canonized as a classic of Flemish modernist prose. In this article we provide an edition of an extract from the autobiographical notes Ontwarringen (Gilliamsarchief, AMVC, Schrift 2, 163669/2, p. 29-31). A detailed comparison between this manuscript and the corresponding sequence from the novel sheds a highly interesting light on the textual genesis of Elias and forces us to review some of Gilliams’ mystifying comments about the alleged autobiographical character of the novel. The main differences between the prototext and the published versions can be related to three basic transformations involved in any creative process. Of special relevance with regard to the work of Gilliams are: the remarkable shift in social setting, the notorious condensation of plot, characters and style, and the trend towards the implementation of a pronounced symbolical-metaphorical style. |
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