Mapping literature has become a common metaphor in recent years, often to represent an organisational principle or to suggest the importance of geography in the critical work. This paper examines the place of geography in literature and demonstrates that maps can add to our knowledge of literature. I use Richard Horwoods 17929 Plan of the Cities of London and Westminster to visualise the movements of Thomas De Quincey in his <i>Confessions of an English Opium-Eater</i> by plotting his movements within London and contrasting them to his earlier travels in Wales. I demonstrate that De Quinceys writing process creates an imaginative London, London imaginis, that has the real London, London res, as a source. The London imaginis is shaped by De Quinceys language and becomes an infernal prison where his Dark Interpreter associates with a community of pariahs, as Joetta Harty refers to it. This is in stark contrast to the paradisal, verdurous, Wales chapters where De Quincey is sociable and free. This spatial reading examines the difference between De Quinceys identity in Wales and in London by exploring the language he uses and the spatial constructions in both London and Wales that become apparent when plotted on a map. This mapping demonstrates how De Quincey artificially constructs both his London imaginis and his London identity, his ego imaginis, to purposefully align himself among the lower classes.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:USASK/oai:usask.ca:etd-09202010-083100 |
| Date | 06 October 2010 |
| Creators | Salt, Joel E |
| Contributors | Vargo, Lisa, Muri, Allison |
| Publisher | University of Saskatchewan |
| Source Sets | University of Saskatchewan Library |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://library.usask.ca/theses/available/etd-09202010-083100/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Saskatchewan or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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