Playful Theory: Georges Poulet’s Phenomenological Thematics

Abstract

This article reflects on the contribution made by the Belgian critic Georges Poulet to the practice of theoretical reflection in literary studies. Poulet is generally considered to be the leading light of Geneva school phenomenological criticism, but questions are asked about just what constitutes this group as a school, and just what ‘phenomenology’ means in this context: what kinds of exchange occurred between the members of the group, and how was the group positioned in broader debates around formalism and structuralism?