NANO (Jan 2011)
On Literary Cartography: Narrative as a Spatially Symbolic Act
Abstract
"On Literary Cartography: Narrative as a Spatially Symbolic Act," by Robert T. Tally Jr. An approach to narrative as a spatially symbolic act enables us to navigate literature and the world in interesting new ways, by asking different questions, exploring different territories, and discovering different effects. As writers map their worlds, so readers or critics may engage with these narrative maps in order to orient ourselves and make sense of things in a changing world. Mapping establishes a meaningful framework for the subject, with points of reference for thinking about oneself and one’s place in the broader social space. Likewise, narratives are frequently used to make sense of, or give form to, this world in significant ways. As such, literary works serve a cartographic function by creating a figurative or allegorical representation of a social space, broadly understood. This I refer to as literary cartography. (NANO: New American Notes Online)
