Geocriticism: Literary Studies after the Spatial Turn

Keynote address, the Symposium on the Geographic Approach to Language, Literature, and Culture, College of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, Sichuan, China, November 3, 2018 (recorded at Texas State University, September 7, 2018).

[@honeychurchgipsy6]

This was extremely interesting and useful to me as I search for a new, perhaps more scientific, approach to literary criticism. As a very mature student considering doing a part time PhD in English (just finished my MA), I have been looking at different approaches - and the geographical/spatial approach is interesting to me. My MA dissertation was on a largely forgotten 'Middlebrow' novelist - Rachel Ferguson - looking at connections between how her female characters managed or failed to create their own - personal - narratives, and ideas of authorship (female anxiety of influence type stuff) but I found the overlap between feminist theory and dubious psycho-analytical/Freudian ideas troubling. I have always employed stylistics/linguistic/narrative analysis (Roger Fowler/Michael Toolan in particular) and have become interested in Cognitive Linguistics and the idea of embodied cognition as a more scientific version of these approaches. Listening to talks by George Lakoff and others it seems to me that how we interact in space is an important aspect of embodied cognition - which leads me to wonder: can we explore literary space/place with regard to how it affects a fictional character from a cognitive perspective? I am particularly interested in Rachel Ferguson (place and time often interact/overlap, and she wrote three 'memoirs' about her home Kensington), Richmal Crompton's adult novels (new, discovered, hidden places often coincide with life changes for women), and Barbara Comyns (she creates very local/familial islands of space which are gothic) If anyone here has any ideas - can point me to some basic texts with which to begin - I'd be grateful.

[@imrankhan-nc4hl]

What is the difference between space and place in geocritical theory?

[@pallavimane513]

Very informative

[@feryalhannouf]

Hello, thank you, Professor, for this precise explanation. I allow myself to ask your opinion regarding my research topic in the first section (From the titles to the text) of the work on the temporal and spatial framework in Albert Camus's novel The Plague and Andrée Chedid's Sixth Day novel with Italo Calvino's book of The Invisible Cities. As you can see, I follow a comparative study on these topics. And I've found that Geocritic is very applicable to what I do. I found that places carry meanings that are morally contradictory with reality as well as times. The place takes on a real character because of the realism of the names (Cairo, Algeria...) but they are scary places that invite violence and death. These novels simulate the 1940's. These narrations have realistic credibility due to history and the chronicle of time, but this does not mean the fact that these epidemics existed in those times. The relationship between reality and the text is a relationship of duality and contradiction. There is a clear vision of the book for the world at the time, as if they were preparing us for a future image. What do you advise me, Professor, in this regard? Thank you so much. If there is a possibility to get an email that I can communicate with you, that would be really my pleasure.

[@revrevathy8539]

Sir, could you please explain what is metaphorical space?

[@dollie3113]

Isn't it the same as chronotope?

[@anabiyanoor8267]

Hello sir i am student of urdu literature.....sir i want a vedio on what is cultural spatiality..because its my thesis project but i don't know how i can understand this theory...plz help

[@brindysmith549]

hello sir

[@elifminekm]

Hello Dear Robert Tally, I don't know If youtube comments is the proper way of asking you a question but here I go. I am English Language and Literature (senior) student from Turkey and as graduation project I deciced to write a dissertation about geocriticism and spatiality on Adventure fiction in the Children's Literature. My main focus will be the life on an island in "The Coral Island" by R.M. Ballantyne and "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding. My questions are what should I consider while approaching to these novels with these aspects? and How can I apply geocriticism and spatiality?

[@roberttally6808]

Paying attention to the ways that space and place positively influence the story, characters, incidents, etc., is a big part of it. In other words, the setting (islands, in your example) is not merely a backdrop to the action, but plays a large role in the narrative itself. I'm not an expert, but you might want to look at work being done in "Island Studies," which could offer an interesting perspective. For example, "Island Genres, Genre Islands," a book by Ralph Crane and Lisa Fletcher. Johannes Riquet's work (see also his co-edited collection "Spatial Modernities") is very good on islands. Your project sounds interesting, and I wish you the best for its successful completion.

[@elifminekm]

Thank you very much for the answer Mr. Tally, have a nice day.

[@aboalzoz1980]

@@elifminekm hello there, sorry for intruding. I would like to write a Phd thesis about this theory for Dr. Tally. I was just wondering, is your thesis for a master degree or Ph, if I may to ask?

[@roberttally6808]

@@elifminekm I meant to add, that you can feel free to email me at the Texas State University address if you have any questions or comments. Best wishes with all your work!

[@caffeine2263]

Hey , even I am doing a dissertation on geocritisism... is there any way by which I could contact you ?