Pristine front gardens and other Flemish quirks dissected in new book
Two university professors dig at the deeper truths behind Flemings’ most obsessive habits in a new collection of essays
Holding a mirror up to Flemish society
Kleine Vlaamse mythologieën is the result of a collaboration between Jan Baetens, head of the Literature and Culture research group at the University of Leuven (KU Leuven), and theatre scientist Karel Vanhaesebrouck. They composed 30 short essays on modern cultural phenomena in Flanders, which are accompanied by black-and-white photos by Flemish photographer Brecht Van Maele.
In an amusing style – but no less critical for it – the authors dissect the most eccentric habits of their fellow Flemings.
The inspiration for the book was Mythologies, a 1957 collection of essays by French philosopher Roland Barthes – a classic. “Barthes created a new format by writing short analyses of daily customs or events that may seem banal at first sight,” says Baetens, “but actually say a lot about the people of a nation or region, and how they see themselves.”
The authors set out to “hold a mirror up to Flemish society by spotlighting certain particularities – without providing big sociological or political theories – to encourage people to take a more critical view of customs that may seem evident, but are not.”
Your typical Flemish garden
One of these particularities, according to the authors, is the typical Flemish garden. “A Fleming is unusually preoccupied with keeping the grass so short that it looks more like a football field or billiard cloth than like a natural environment,” says Baetens.
This “extensive manipulation of nature,” he continues, “is part of the larger belief in Flanders in the concept of an engineered society and the desire to reach a high level of efficiency and perfection in daily life.”
The extensive manipulation of nature is part of the Flemish belief in the concept of an engineered society
A garden also has a more important role in the largely urbanised region of Flanders than in neighbouring Wallonia, for example, where nature is much more abundant, and gardens are, consequently, less ruthlessly maintained.
In one particularly surprising essay, Baetens also wonders about the Flemish habit of always have a water bottle with them. “I was especially amazed to see swimmers in the pool who put a bottle on the side and regularly stopped to take a sip, because this is supposed to improve their performance,” he says.
According to the professor, this is one of many aspects of a widespread health trend. “It seems to have become an obvious fact that we are all responsible for our health, while our health is actually something very fragile and can never be controlled completely,” he says.
Too many geniuses
Baetens, who also writes poetry in French, is also very sensitive to language trends in Flanders. One of his pet peeves is the abundant use of the prefix “top” to describe the excellence of something.
“Today, only what is ‘top’ is good enough – top model, top talent, top sport, top research, …. top potato, top complication, top shoe size, top unemployed person,” Baetens writes in his essay.
Many of the elements considered particular to the Flemish character are in reality common in many regions
“If you use such prefixes too much, they lose their value,” Baetens says. “I also get annoyed when I read about a ‘genius’ in the press for the umpteenth time. If everybody were a genius, there actually are no real geniuses anymore.”
In an essay that is unlikely to charm fans of N-VA president Bart De Wever, Baetens also examines the use of Latin quotes by the mayor of Antwerp in his speeches. “One of the purposes is to demonstrate that Flemings are highly educated people, but it is also a strategy to seemingly say something very deep without actually conveying anything of much importance,” Baetens says, while emphasising that Kleine Vlaamse mythologieën has no political inclinations.
In another essay, Baetens describes Flemish readers’ love of gossip magazines, cookbooks and detective stories. “At the annual Book Fair in Antwerp, for example, you can clearly see how little interest there is in real literature. This clashes with the image of the highly educated and culturally interested Fleming that is so cherished and promoted.”
Of course, many of the cultural habits dissected in the book are not just “typically Flemish”, but can be observed in many parts of the world. Baetens says that was also something they wanted to highlight.
“Many of the elements that are often considered particular to the Flemish character are in reality common in many regions,” he explains. “One of our main messages, therefore, is that self-confidence is a good quality, but it’s just as important to remain modest and keep an open-minded view of the world.”
Baetens hopes the book will also inspire expats to write about their own perceptions of Flemings.
Photo by Brecht Van Maele
