Levi Weemoedt

The setting of the short novel De ziekte van Lodesteijn is that of a high school in the Netherlands. Lodesteijn is a teacher of classical languages. At first, it seems that Lodesteijn is a very eccentric teacher, but as the story unfolds, his behavior can be understood as a mild rebellion against the dictatorial headmaster. The story describes how Lodesteijn's behavior becomes increasingly erratic after the transition to a new school building.

The style of the novel is hyperbolic. While recognizable, the characters and their behavior are exaggerated. This has a comic effect, but also makes the novel as a whole less serious, as if it was written by a high school students, rather than a former teacher. The novel is successful at ridiculing developments in Dutch education, and the general trend of putting new and fashionable conceptualization in the place of traditional craftsmanship, in the exemplified by the architecture of the new school building. The story ends with Lodesteijn being laid off.

Lévi Weemoedt, the author of De ziekte van Lodesteijn used to work as a teacher, until he gave up on that career out of disillusionment. De ziekte van Lodesteijn, was followed by two sequels, Het nut van Lodesteijn and De nadagen van Lodesteijn.… (mais)