6.5. Epilogue
In Chapter Five I compare Reinhart and H.H. Post and I also try to establish a link between the novel and reality. I indicate the most important desiderata which became apparent in this investigation. Finally I try to evaluate Reinhart as a colonial novel and other Dutch literary and non-literary texts from the Enlightenment dealing with slave trade and slavery.
A comparison between the literary planter and the historical planter shows that H.H. Post has many traits in common with his literary colleague but also that he revealed more courage in the end and that he unlike Reinhart, was not afraid of fighting against the colonial society. Both planters cherished rigorous views on the role of Providence, but whereas Reinhart used it to defend the existence of slavery, H.H. Post derived from it his fighting spirit to continue his activities in favour of the negro slaves.
In my opinion the novel had a function in the communication between the author and her brother: she probably wanted to hold up a mirror to him as an encouragement for a virtuous life and to practice humane mastership. E.M. Post was apparently one of the shareholders of her brother's enterprise and she therefore felt a high degree of co-responsibility for the well-being of black labourers. And in this way Reinhart's crisis of conscience is parallelled not only by that of H.H. Post's but also by that of the author's.
In contrast with non-literary works of the Enlightenment slave-trade and slavery are not defended in literary works, at the most they are tolerated, provided the slaves are well-treated. The motif of good-mastership is characteristic for most literary works. Only a few works are unequivocally in favour of abolition: of these the essays in De Denker (1764) are notable because of their early date and the form of presentation.
In placing Reinhart as a work about slavery in the literature of a colonial power, it is remarkable how few literary authors have taken an interest in colonial issues especially slavery. The question as to whether colonial practices were known, must however be answered positively. Slave trade and slavery were introduced into texts as moral and social problems and discussed already in the beginning of the 17th century. In literature attention to these problems is paid only in the course of the 18th century. The attention is by no means overwhelming, especially if one considers the fact that about half of the texts are translations, adaptations or imitations of foreign works. The contribution of female authors is relatively large.
Finally it seems that Reinhart is not in fact defending the system, but is defending himself. He is aware of his duality: only self-interest makes him forget his enlightened principles and ideals. His self-interest is determined by the care for his mother, later also for his family and, paradoxically enough, also for his slaves. In this the hero does not stand alone, many Reinharts are encountered in literature as well as in reality. A few years after the publication of the novel, the National Assembly of the Batavian Republic took a comparable double-faced point of view.
The Englightenment did not lead to a breakthrough in the Republic with respect to the issue of negro slavery, but it did lead to great doubt - which is also epitomized by Reinhart.
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