“Literature And The New Cultural Geography” by Elizabeth Jones: Summary and Critique

1. The Growing Awareness of Space in Academic Disciplines

• In recent decades, there has been a heightened awareness of the role of space in various disciplines, particularly in geography and the humanities.
• Theorists such as Fredric Jameson and Michel Foucault have emphasized that “we live in spacious times” (Jones, 2008, p. 1).
• The emergence of the New Cultural Geography has challenged traditional views of space as passive, asserting instead that it is “an active force in the world that is imbued with ideology and politics” (Jones, 2008, p. 2).

2. The Interdisciplinary Connection Between Geography and Literature

• Geography has increasingly incorporated language and literature into its studies.
• Barnes and Duncan (1992) argue that the etymology of geography, meaning “earth writing,” suggests an inherent connection to literature.
• The rise of postmodernism and the crisis of representation has led geographers to reconsider the role of subjective narratives in understanding space (Jones, 2008, p. 3).

3. The Traditional Divide Between Geography and Literature

• Historically, geography emphasized objective scientific methods and dismissed literary studies.
• James Duncan and David Ley (1993) state that traditional geography aimed “to produce as accurate a reflection of the world as possible” (Jones, 2008, p. 4).
• This opposition stemmed from the Enlightenment ideal that knowledge should be empirical and measurable.

4. The Postmodern Challenge to Objectivity in Geography

• The postmodern crisis of representation questioned the ability of language and maps to objectively represent reality.
• Duncan and Ley argue that “this revolt against objectivism, rationality and the meta-narratives which have guided enquiry has been one of the central themes in postmodern representation” (Jones, 2008, p. 6).
• Postmodern geographers began embracing qualitative methods, including subjective experiences and fictional literature.

5. The Evolving Role of Maps and Writing in Spatial Representation

• Cartography, once seen as a scientific tool, has been criticized for its colonial and hegemonic biases.
• Blunt and Rose (1994) argue that “maps were themselves colonizing spaces perceived as empty and uninscribed” (Jones, 2008, p. 8).
• Experimental forms of writing, such as montage narratives, challenge the traditional authority of authors in geography (Jones, 2008, p. 9).

6. The ‘New Cultural Geography’ and Its Methodological Shifts

• The New Cultural Geography emerged in the 1980s, advocating for hermeneutic and interpretive approaches to space.
• Barnes and Duncan (1992) suggest that “writing about worlds reveals as much about ourselves as it does about the worlds represented” (Jones, 2008, p. 10).
• Subjective and narrative-driven research methods have since gained prominence.

7. The Work of Marc Brosseau in Literary Geography

• Marc Brosseau’s Des romans-géographes (1996) is a landmark study that argues literature is not just a tool for geographical analysis but a constitutive force of space.
• He criticizes the simplistic use of literature to “prove” geographical arguments, advocating instead for a true dialogue between disciplines (Jones, 2008, p. 12).
• Brosseau states that “the interest of a dialogical relationship lies in its willingness to recognize the other as other” (Jones, 2008, p. 13).

8. The Enduring Influence of Traditional Stereotypes

• Some interdisciplinary works, such as Geography and Literature: A Meeting of the Disciplines (Mallory & Simpson-Housley, 1987), reinforce traditional stereotypes.
• The book treats geography as factual and literature as purely imaginative, limiting true interdisciplinary engagement (Jones, 2008, p. 14).
• Cesar Caviedes, for example, writes that geographers “must often recognize (with envy) the sensitivity and innate intuition with which literary writers extract the purest reality of a region” (Jones, 2008, p. 15).

9. The Role of Walter Benjamin in Literary Spatial Studies

• Walter Benjamin’s idea of the “city as text” has influenced interdisciplinary spatial analysis.
• His work on Paris and the flâneur has inspired studies on urban geography and literary space (Jones, 2008, p. 16).
• Deborah Parsons (2000) extends this idea to explore the female flâneuse, arguing that literature not only reflects but constructs the city (Jones, 2008, p. 17).

10. The City as a Central Focus in Literary Geography

• Paris, London, and New York have been key sites of literary spatial analysis.
• Marcy Schwartz (1999) describes Paris as a “transcultural literary capital” (Jones, 2008, p. 18).
• Pierre-Marc de Biasi (2000) refers to Paris as “Paris-palimpseste, toujours déjà littéraire,” highlighting the city’s long-standing textual identity (Jones, 2008, p. 19).

11. Gaston Bachelard’s Impact on Spatial Poetics

• Bachelard’s La Poétique de l’espace (1957) introduced the study of psychological and poetic space.
• He emphasized the symbolic and experiential aspects of space, moving beyond geometrical analysis (Jones, 2008, p. 20).
• His horizontal and vertical spatial axes remain widely used in both literary and geographical studies (Jones, 2008, p. 21).

12. Postcolonialism and the Spatial Imagination

• Postcolonial theorists have linked geography with cultural identity.
• Indira Karamcheti (1994) states that postcolonialism involves “an imaginative recovery of a ‘local place'” (Jones, 2008, p. 22).
• Mary Louise Pratt’s Imperial Eyes (1992) introduced the contact zone, a spatial concept highlighting colonial encounters (Jones, 2008, p. 23).

13. The Role of Travel Writing in Spatial Analysis

• Travel narratives inherently engage with space and cultural difference.
• Sara Mills (1991) analyzes how colonial-era women’s travel writing reflected power dynamics (Jones, 2008, p. 24).
• Adrien Pasquali (1994) notes a shift toward exploring familiar, local spaces, indicating a postmodern blurring of home and away (Jones, 2008, p. 25).

14. The Use of Maps in Literary Studies

• Franco Moretti’s Atlas of the European Novel (1998) argues that “geography is not an inert container, but an active force” (Jones, 2008, p. 26).
• However, Brosseau warns against “excessive ordering,” cautioning that mapping literature may oversimplify spatial meaning (Jones, 2008, p. 27).

15. Broader Interdisciplinary Initiatives

• The géopoétique movement, led by Kenneth White, seeks to reunite nature and literature (Jones, 2008, p. 28).
• Space and Place: The Geographies of Literature (Norquay & Smyth, 1997) explores how literature disrupts traditional notions of national identity (Jones, 2008, p. 29).

16. The Special Edition’s Contributions

• This edition of Anglia explores interdisciplinary approaches to literature and cultural geography.
• Articles discuss topics such as postcolonial space, landscape history, and the representation of tourist sites in literature (Jones, 2008, p. 30).
• Notably, Russell West-Pavlov argues for rethinking postcolonial geography beyond textual analysis, emphasizing material spatial histories (Jones, 2008, p. 31).

17. The Need for Ongoing Interdisciplinary Dialogue

• The relationship between geography and literature is still evolving.
• Some works, like Brosseau’s, foster true dialogue, while others remain constrained by disciplinary stereotypes.
• The challenge remains to move beyond binary oppositions—such as reality/fiction and objectivity/subjectivity—toward a more integrated approach to understanding space.

1. The Spatial Turn in Literary Studies

• Jones’ work emphasizes the increasing importance of space in literary analysis, highlighting how geography and literature intersect.
• She asserts that “the preoccupation with space has become increasingly interdisciplinary” and that space “plays a role in individual identity formation” (Jones, 2008, p. 2).
• This aligns with the broader spatial turn in humanities, as explored by theorists such as Michel Foucault and Henri Lefebvre.

2. Postmodernism and the Crisis of Representation

• The text contributes to postmodern literary theory by critiquing the Enlightenment notion of objective knowledge and stable representation.
• “Not only has the notion of impartial, objective knowledge been undermined, then, but the means through which knowledge can be articulated has also been called into question” (Jones, 2008, p. 6).
• This builds upon the postmodernist argument that language and representation are inherently unstable (Duncan & Ley, 1993).

3. Literary Cartography and the Problematization of Maps

• Jones explores how literature and geography have traditionally approached space differently, emphasizing how cartography is not merely objective but embedded in cultural narratives.
• “Mapping operates in hegemonic discourses as a form of mimetic representation – it textually represents the gaze through transparent space” (Blunt & Rose, cited in Jones, 2008, p. 8).
• This discussion contributes to literary cartography and aligns with Franco Moretti’s Atlas of the European Novel (1998), which maps literary spaces.

4. The City-as-Text and Urban Literary Studies

• Drawing from Walter Benjamin, Jones highlights how literature and geography converge in urban studies.
• She states, “Benjamin’s work was ground-breaking on a theoretical level due to the strength with which he championed the notion of not only ‘city-as-text’ but also ‘text-as-city'” (Jones, 2008, p. 16).
• This contributes to urban literary studies by framing literature as a constitutive force in shaping perceptions of cities.

5. Postcolonialism and Spatial Critique

• The text engages with postcolonial literary theory by analyzing how colonialism influenced spatial representation in literature.
• “Whereas colonialism involved the physical domination of many of the world’s spaces, postcolonialism involves ‘an imaginative recovery of a ‘local place'” (Karamcheti, cited in Jones, 2008, p. 23).
• This aligns with Mary Louise Pratt’s Imperial Eyes (1992), which introduced the concept of the “contact zone” in colonial literature.

6. Geo-Poetics and Environmental Literary Studies

• Jones highlights Kenneth White’s géopoétique movement, which integrates environmental concerns with literary geography.
• “The enduring nature of this movement as well as its admirable overall aim to ‘renouveler complètement la carte mentale’ [completely renew the mental map]” (White, cited in Jones, 2008, p. 28).
• This contributes to ecocriticism and environmental literary studies by emphasizing literature’s role in shaping ecological consciousness.

7. The Feminist Critique of Spatial Representation

• The article incorporates feminist theory by critiquing how space and objectivity have been historically gendered.
• “Feminist thinkers argue that the idea of objectivity in fact conceals Enlightenment models of the ideal citizen, who was white, male and middle class” (Seidman, cited in Jones, 2008, p. 11).
• This aligns with Alison Blunt and Gillian Rose’s Writing Women and Space (1994), which explores gendered spatial politics.

8. Travel Writing and the Deconstruction of Exoticism

• Jones examines how contemporary travel writing disrupts traditional notions of “home” and “abroad.”
• “The new travelers explore the tastes of Paris, certain suburbs, and J.-D. Urbain designates them as ‘voyageurs de l’interstice'” (Pasquali, cited in Jones, 2008, p. 24).
• This builds on Sara Mills’ Discourses of Difference (1991), which critiques colonialist narratives in travel writing.

9. Literature as Constitutive of Space

• Instead of viewing literature as merely reflecting reality, Jones argues that literature actively shapes perceptions of space.
• “Studying contemporary literature could act as ‘le détonateur d’une nouvelle façon de penser l’espace’ [the catalyst for a new way of thinking about space]” (Brosseau, cited in Jones, 2008, p. 21).
• This contributes to literary geography by positioning literature as an active force in spatial discourse.

10. Interdisciplinary Dialogue between Geography and Literary Studies

• Jones calls for a deeper interdisciplinary exchange between geography and literature, moving beyond superficial uses of literature in geographic studies.
• “The creation of the genuine dialogue that Brosseau calls for aims, in short, to avoid superficial, self-validating interdisciplinary contacts” (Jones, 2008, p. 22).
• This aligns with Glenda Norquay and Gerry Smyth’s Space and Place: The Geographies of Literature (1997), which fosters literary-geographical collaboration.