"Heel Euroop zal zich terstond vereenen": Europa in de Nederlandse Waterlooliteratuur

Throughout the centuries, the self-image of Europe and Europeans has been subject to change, and different opinions on this matter have existed simultaneously. Nevertheless, the Battle of Waterloo has offered a communal point of referencein European consciousness for both his supporters and opponents. Waterloo rocked Europe to its foundations and it was by far the largest battle ever fought on the Low Countries’ soil. The battle immediately attained mythical status and European artists of diverse tempers, such as Victor Hugo, Willem Bilderdijk, Walter Scott and Multatuli have contributed to its remembrance. This article aims to investigate the Waterloo literature of the Low Countries from a European perspective, and to analyze the literary representation of European characters, stereotypes and self-images. This fragmented history of the Low Countries and their importance for the political stability of Western Europe presented an ideal environment in which European self-images could be expressed.