Wouter van Staveren

Areas of Interest

19-20th century German and French literature, Modernism, Naturlyrik, Phenomenology, Ernst Meister

Bio

Wouter joined the German Department in 2023. He received his BA in Philosophy at the University of Groningen in 2018 and also obtained Master degrees in Philosophy and Western Literature from the Catholic University of Leuven in 2020-2023. His philosophical studies led to a dissertation on Merleau-Ponty’s ambiguous concept of the “hyperdialectic” (surdialectique) and a comprehensive study of Gerard Manley Hopkin’s “poetics of indeterminate sensation” within the framework of Henri Maldiney’s phenomenology. His current research investigates the role of nature and self-reflexivity in Ernst Meister’s poetry, and more generally the poet’s place within German philosophy (e.g. Hölderlin, Kant, Heidegger) and 20th century Naturlyrik (e.g. Wilhelm Lehmann, Günter Eich). Apart from his studies on modern poetry, he is also working on the literary function of perspectivism within Herman Broch’s novel-trilogy The Sleepwalkers (Die Schlafwandler).