Greimas’s literary criticism: tendencies and horizons

Abstract

This article looks at texts of literary criticism that Algirdas Julius Greimas had published in both Lithuanian and diaspora journals. His critical texts written in the Lithuanian language display a variety of themes and genres and are notable not only for their polemical and canon-denying aspects but also for their sensitivity both to the comparative context of Western literature and to parallels and conflicts with tradition. Greimas keeps on returning to the same writers in his reflections on their literary creations; in these reflections he often indicates what still remains to be explored ahead. His constant presence between two literary cultures – French and Lithuanian – endowed his critical thinking with vitality and polemical vigor. Springing outside and beyond the genre canon, Greimas’s pieces of literary criticism often develop into literary essays.