This material is aimed at students who have reached an advanced (fourth-year or Master’s) level in Dutch language. A basic knowledge of Dutch literature will be helpful, but is not required.
It recounts the experiences of the idealistic colonial civil servant Max Havelaar (alter ego of Douwes Dekker) who rebels against the ##system of forced cultivation imposed on Indonesia’s peasants under Dutch colonial rule. For the Indonesian author Pramudya Ananta Tur, Max Havelaar is the “book that killed colonialism” . Others have called it a political and social satire and a literary experiment of the first order. Why? You will find out the answer, while working your way through this study pack!At the centre of the pack is a fragment from Max Havelaar. You can read and listen to the text, study its vocabulary, and analyse its structure and place in the novel. You will be invited to answer questions, and you will be able to check your answers immediately through hyperlinks.
The navigation bar at the left-hand side of the screen allows you to go directly to the various sections of this study pack. However, we recommend you to start with the introduction to Multatuli’s life and work and then follow the links as they appear on the pages.
Click >here for an introduction to Multatuli’s life and work.
