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Document Details : Title: Sibbelees hypothese. Over Nooit meer slapen van W.F. Hermans Author(s): VAN STRALEN, Hans Journal: Spiegel der Letteren Volume: 43 Issue: 1 Date: 2001 Pages: 48-60 DOI: 10.2143/SDL.43.1.404 Abstract : W.F. Hermans’ book Nooit meer slapen [No more sleep] (1966) is a novel, thematising both existentialist and post-modernist aspects. The topoi ‘borderline situation’ and the ‘other’ have been worked out clearly, but there is no case for commitment in Nooit meer slapen. The main character happens to experience the reality in which he finds himself as complex. This chaotic universe and the misunderstandings created by language prevent the protagonist from making definitive choices, a dilemma which is reminiscent of the post-modernist world view. Hermans’ novel may also be interpreted as a work in which epistemological discussions have been modelled. Nooit meer slapen actually shows us that K. Popper’s epistemology in scientific practice, as described by Th. Kuhn, turns out to be impracticable. |
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