Why did Dutch literature decline during much of the 18th century?

The decline of Dutch literature during the 18th century is attributed to several interconnected cultural and socioeconomic factors:

• Loss of Vitality: The nation’s material well-being is widely cited as having sapped its creative energy. Unlike the vibrant, seething activity of the 17th-century "Golden Age," the 18th century was characterized by a sense of calm and easeful pleasantness that lacked the previous era's driving sense of purpose.123
• Imitative Trends: Dutch literature largely followed English and French models rather than developing original, groundbreaking works. Prose during this period consisted almost exclusively of translations and bombastic disquisitions.21
• Stifling Formalism: Writers were often constrained by the prevailing delusions of the day, which prioritized rococo flourishes and rigid, prescribed forms over genuine artistic expression.1
• Institutional Stagnation: The emergence of literary societies (dichtgenootschap) in the late 17th century served as an early omen of this decline. Furthermore, the political system had become an immobile oligarchy, and Dutch culture generally failed to maintain the eminence it held in the preceding century.12

While some authors eventually reacted against these trends toward the end of the century, the period remained largely defined by this loss of cultural leadership.12