Abstract

Bernard Noël has investigated the relationship between the conceptual and the visual in many of his prose and poetic texts. From the earlier "body" poetry of Extraits du corps, where the image of the inward-looking eye makes its appearance, to his book on Magritte's "visible thought" and the prose text Le 19 octobre 1977, where he thematizes the functioning of perception, Noël explores the complex interplay between seeing and thought, language and thought, and seeing and writing. This study analyzes these and other major issues driving Noel's poetics.

Keywords: Bernard Noël, conceptual, visual, prose, poetic, body, poetry, Extraits du corps, inward-looking eye, inward-looking, Magritte, visible thought, Le 19 octobre 1977, seeing, thought, language, writing, poetics

How to Cite:

Edson, L., (1989) “Thought and Perception: Bernard Noël and the Mind's Eye”, Studies in 20th & 21st Century Literature 13(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.4148/2334-4415.1226