Space and Literary Studies

Examines the evolving role of space as a concept crucial to literary studies. Treats the emergence and development of foundational theories in spatial literary studies alongside emergent approaches. Focus on intersection of space and power relations. Appeals to scholars and students in literature, history, and gender studies, among other fields.

Our experience of the world is deeply shaped by concepts of space. From territorial borders, to distinctions between public and private space, to the way we dwell in a building or move between rooms, space is central to how we inhabit our environment and make sense of our place within it. Literature explores and gives expression to the ways in which space impacts human experience. It also powerfully shapes the construction and experience of space. Literary studies has increasingly turned to space and, fuelled by feminist and postcolonial insights, the interconnections between material spaces and power relations. This book treats foundational theories in spatial literary studies alongside exciting new areas of research, providing a dual emphasis on origins and innovative approaches while maintaining constant attention to how the production and experience of space is intertwined with the production and circulation of power.