Lucien Goldmann, a Romanian-born French critic and sociologist, played a significant role in the development of Marxist Humanism after World War II, drawing heavily on Georg Lukács's theories. Goldmann's work, though influential, often faced criticism for appearing outdated due to delayed English translations. His concept of vision du monde or "world view," as detailed in his work Le Dieu caché (The Hidden God), explores how a writer's perception of the world is shaped by their social context, leading to literary expressions of tragedy through a sense of divine absence or silence. This idea, as noted by Edward W. Said, integrates historical and social contexts with a dialectical approach, challenging traditional literary criticism.

Goldmann's notion of genetic structuralism, articulated in Pour une sociologie du roman (Towards a Sociology of the Novel), examines the novelistic form through the lens of social structures, suggesting that literary forms mirror societal conditions. While praised for its insights, critics like Oleg Mandić argue it overemphasizes economic determinism. Goldmann's critiques of literature often blend cultural theory and dialectics, as observed by Peter Demetz, but sometimes fall back on outdated methods.

His final work, Lukács and Heidegger: Towards a New Philosophy, attempts to link Heidegger's ideas with those of Lukács, yet is seen as flawed. David Couzens Hoy critiques Goldmann's approach, highlighting discrepancies in his analysis of Heidegger's philosophical alignment with Lukács. Despite such critiques, Goldmann's contributions remain pivotal in understanding the interplay between literature, philosophy, and social conditions.