“Phenomenology of Reading” by Georges Poulet: Summary and Critique

Introduction: “Phenomenology of Reading” by Georges Poulet

“Phenomenology of Reading” by Georges Poulet first appeared in New Literary History in October 1969, in Volume 1, No. 1 (New and Old History), spanning pages 53-68. Published by The Johns Hopkins University Press, this essay is recognized for its deep exploration of the relationship between the reader and the text, focusing on how reading transforms a passive object into a vibrant, living consciousness within the reader. Poulet’s work is significant in literary theory and criticism for its phenomenological approach, where he emphasizes the disappearance of the physical book as an object and its re-creation in the mind of the reader. In this process, the reader’s consciousness merges with the author’s thoughts, fostering a unique subjectivity that blurs the lines between self and other. This concept not only highlights the transformative power of reading but also offers profound insights into the nature of interpretation and the intimate relationship between the reader and the text, making it a pivotal piece in the study of reader-response theory.

Summary of “Phenomenology of Reading” by Georges Poulet

1. The relationship between reader and text: Poulet’s essay explores the transformation that occurs when a reader engages with a book. At first, a book is merely an object, static and material, but once read, it becomes a living entity. “Books are objects… they wait for someone to come and deliver them from their materiality.”
2. Disappearance of the book as a physical object: As the reader immerses in the text, the physical book seems to vanish, replaced by thoughts and ideas. “Where is the book I held in my hands? It is still there, and at the same time, it is there no longer.”
3. The merging of consciousnesses: The act of reading allows the reader’s mind to merge with the author’s consciousness. The reader thinks the thoughts of another, experiencing them as their own. “I am thinking the thoughts of another. Of course, I think it as my own.”
4. Reading as alienation and self-transformation: Poulet argues that when reading, the reader temporarily loses their own identity and adopts that of the author. “Reading is just that: the act of yielding oneself to another consciousness.”
5. Language’s role in reshaping reality: The words in a book transform reality, pulling the reader into a fictional world where objects and ideas take on new forms. “Language surrounds me with its unreality… the universe of fiction is infinitely more elastic than the world of objective reality.”
6. The paradox of subjectivity: Despite the reader’s sense of alienation, Poulet asserts that through reading, the reader comes into a deeper sense of self, identifying with the subjectivity of another. “I am on loan to another, and this other thinks, feels, suffers, and acts within me.”

Literary Terms/Concepts in “Phenomenology of Reading” by Georges Poulet

Literary Term/Concept	Definition/Explanation	Reference/Quotation
Phenomenology	The philosophical study of structures of consciousness as experienced from the first-person point of view.	“The consciousness of another… allows me, with unheard-of licence, to think what it thinks and feel what it feels.”
Reader-Response Theory	A theory that emphasizes the reader’s role in creating the meaning of a text through their engagement with it.	“Reading is the act in which the subjective principle… is modified in such a way that I no longer… consider it as my I.”
Consciousness	The awareness of one’s own thoughts, feelings, and existence, which in reading, merges with that of the author.	“I am thinking the thoughts of another… it is the I which thinks.”
Subjectivity	The individual perspective or personal mental experience of the reader, which becomes intertwined with the text.	“This consciousness inherent in the work is active and potent… it occupies the foreground.”
Alienation	The feeling of estrangement or disconnection from one’s own identity during the reading process.	“Reading is the act by which a thought managed to bestow itself within me with a subject not myself.”
Immateriality of the Text	The transformation of a book from a physical object to an immaterial experience in the reader’s mind.	“For the book is no longer a material reality. It has become a series of words, of images, of ideas.”
Fiction vs. Reality	The tension between the real world and the fictional universe created by the text, which alters the reader’s reality.	“The universe of fiction is infinitely more elastic than the world of objective reality.”
Textual Consciousness	The idea that the text has its own consciousness, which interacts with the reader’s consciousness.	“A book is not only a book, it is the means by which an author actually preserves his ideas… his identity.”
Transformation through Reading	The process by which the act of reading changes both the text and the reader, leading to a shared subjectivity.	“The work lives its own life within me; in a certain sense, it thinks itself, and it even gives itself a meaning within me.”

Contribution of “Phenomenology of Reading” by Georges Poulet to Literary Theory/Theories

Examples of Critiques Through “Phenomenology of Reading” by Georges Poulet

Literary Work	Critique through Poulet’s “Phenomenology of Reading”	Key Concept from Poulet
Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time	In reading Proust, the reader does not merely observe the protagonist’s memories and experiences; rather, the text invites the reader to enter the subjective world of memory and time. The text becomes alive in the reader’s consciousness, reshaping the reader’s own sense of time and memory.	Text as a Living Entity: The novel exists within the reader’s consciousness, where its meaning is constructed through reflection on time.
Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis	When reading The Metamorphosis, the reader undergoes a transformation alongside Gregor Samsa. The alienation felt by the character becomes a shared experience, as the reader’s consciousness merges with Gregor’s, fostering an unsettling identification with his disintegrating sense of self.	Alienation and Self-Transformation: The reader’s identity is temporarily replaced by the consciousness of the protagonist.
James Joyce’s Ulysses	In Ulysses, the complex stream-of-consciousness narrative demands active reader participation. As the text shifts between perspectives and thoughts, the reader’s consciousness becomes enmeshed with the characters’, experiencing their fragmented thoughts as though they were their own.	Merging of Consciousness: The reader enters the minds of the characters, dissolving the boundary between self and text.
Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway	Through Mrs. Dalloway, the reader experiences the inner lives of the characters in real time, as Woolf’s narrative blurs the lines between external events and internal thoughts. The reader’s mind merges with Clarissa’s and Septimus’s, absorbing their emotions and perceptions.	Consciousness as an Active Force: The novel’s consciousness actively shapes the reader’s thoughts, creating an immersive subjective experience.

Criticism Against “Phenomenology of Reading” by Georges Poulet

• Overemphasis on Reader’s Subjectivity:
  Critics argue that Poulet’s focus on the merging of the reader’s consciousness with the text neglects the inherent structure and meaning of the text itself, giving too much power to the reader’s subjective experience.
• Neglect of Historical and Social Context:
  Poulet’s phenomenological approach largely ignores the historical, cultural, and social contexts in which a text is produced and consumed, overlooking how these external factors influence both the author and the reader.
• Lack of Attention to Textual Structure:
  Formalist and structuralist critics argue that Poulet’s theory undervalues the formal elements of the text (such as its language, structure, and style), which are crucial for understanding meaning. His focus on the experience of reading disregards the text’s inherent literary qualities.
• Disregard for Authorial Intent:
  Poulet minimizes the role of the author’s intentions and biography, suggesting that the text’s meaning emerges only through the reader’s engagement. Critics believe this undermines the importance of the author’s original purpose and the context of the writing.
• Romanticization of Reading Experience:
  Some critics find Poulet’s depiction of reading as a profound, almost mystical merging of minds overly idealistic and detached from the more varied, critical, or even dispassionate experiences readers often have with texts.
• Potential for Misinterpretation:
  Poulet’s emphasis on the reader’s active role in constructing meaning can lead to the criticism that his theory opens the door to subjective misinterpretations, where any reading could be justified as valid, even if it contradicts the text’s clear meaning.

Representative Quotations from “Phenomenology of Reading” by Georges Poulet with Explanation

Quotation	Explanation
“Books are objects. On a table, on bookshelves… they wait for someone to come and deliver them from their materiality.”	This quote introduces the central idea that books, as objects, only come to life when they are read. Without the reader, they remain inert and material.
“For the book is no longer a material reality. It has become a series of words, of images, of ideas which in their turn begin to exist.”	Poulet emphasizes the transformation of a book from a physical object to a mental construct. The book’s true existence emerges in the reader’s mind through reading.
“Reading is the act by which a thought managed to bestow itself within me with a subject not myself.”	This quote captures the key concept of the reader adopting the consciousness of the author, momentarily thinking the thoughts of another through the act of reading.
“I am thinking the thoughts of another. Of course, I think it as my own.”	Poulet explores the paradox of reading, where the reader internalizes another’s thoughts and experiences them as their own, blurring the line between self and other.
“Reading is the act in which the subjective principle… is modified in such a way that I no longer have the right, strictly speaking, to consider it as my I.”	This quotation describes how reading alters the reader’s sense of self, as the reader’s identity becomes intertwined with the text and the author’s consciousness.
“I am aware of a rational being, of a consciousness; the consciousness of another, no different from the one I automatically assume in every human being I encounter.”	Poulet stresses the idea that the reader encounters the consciousness of the author through the text, as if engaging directly with another living person.
“The universe of fiction is infinitely more elastic than the world of objective reality.”	This reflects Poulet’s view that the fictional world created by language is more flexible and expansive than the concrete, fixed reality of the material world.
“Language surrounds me with its unreality.”	Poulet notes the paradox of language: it creates a fictional universe that envelops the reader, distancing them from the external, material reality.
“I am on loan to another, and this other thinks, feels, suffers, and acts within me.”	This highlights the alienation that occurs in reading, where the reader temporarily loses their own identity, subsuming it to the consciousness and experiences of the author.
“It is not the biography which explicates the work, but rather the work which sometimes enables us to understand the biography.”	This quote critiques the biographical method of literary criticism, suggesting that a text can reveal insights into the author’s life, but should not be reduced to it.

Suggested Readings: “Phenomenology of Reading” by Georges Poulet

1. Poulet, Georges. “Phenomenology of Reading.” New Literary History, vol. 1, no. 1, 1969, pp. 53–68. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/468372. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.
2. Iser, Wolfgang. “The Reading Process: A Phenomenological Approach.” New Literary History, vol. 3, no. 2, 1972, pp. 279–99. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/468316. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.
3. Cusset, François. “Unthinkable Readers: The Political Blindspot of French Literature.” New Literary History, vol. 44, no. 2, 2013, pp. 251–66. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24542594. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.
4. POULET, GEORGES, et al. “Bergson: The Theme of the Panoramic Vision of the Dying and Juxtaposition.” PMLA, vol. 126, no. 2, 2011, pp. 483–99. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41414121. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.
5. Calinescu, Matei. “Hermeneutics or Poetics.” The Journal of Religion, vol. 59, no. 1, 1979, pp. 1–17. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1202111. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.