Literary Geographies in Balzac and Proust

Literary geography is one of the core aspects of the study of the novel, both in its realist and post-realist incarnations. Literary geography is not just about connecting place-names to locations on the map; literary geographers also explore how spaces interact in fictional worlds and the imaginary of physical space as seen through the lens of characters' perceptions. The tools of literary cartography and geographical analysis can be particularly useful in seeing how places relate to one another and how characters are associated with specific places. This Element explores the literary geographies of Balzac and Proust as exemplary of realist and post-realist traditions of place-making in novelistic spaces. The central concern of this Element is how literary cartography, or the mapping of place-names, can contribute to our understanding of place-making in the novel.

Reviews & endorsements

'This slim volume by Melanie Conroy contains a generous amount of interesting information about geographic places and their meanings in the works of Balzac and Proust … This useful book shows how statistical tools can paint new pictures of the geographies of the authors and can generate new and interesting meanings in these important texts.' Dorothy Kelly, H-France Review

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Product details

• Date Published: December 2021
• format: Paperback
• isbn: 9781108994910
• length: 75 pages

• dimensions: 229 x 151 x 6 mm
• weight: 0.15kg
• availability: Available