Early Modern Visions of Space: France and Beyond

This volume explores the relationship between literature and space in the sixteenth century, focusing on how writers responded to cosmology in evolution and how literature and space implicate each other. It includes sections on the exploration and codification of urban and rural spaces, maritime and industrial expanses, space and politics, space and gender, and space and ethics.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 458 pages
Publication date: 15 December 2021
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press

This volume delves into the intricate relationship between cosmology in evolution and the literary response in the sixteenth century, exploring how writers responded to the changing cosmological landscape and how literature and space intertwined. The book is divided into four sections, each addressing different aspects of this relationship.

The first section, "Space and Territory: Geographies in Texts," examines the early modern exploration and codification of urban, rural, maritime, and industrial spaces. By analyzing the geographies depicted in texts, the volume contributes to a history of spatial consciousness and sheds light on the construction of local, national, political, public, and private places.

The second section, "Space and Politics: Literary Geographies," explores the interplay between literature and space. The contributors in this segment demonstrate how built forms, such as architectural or literary constructions, and spatial orientation are intertwined, shaping the narratives and characters in literary works.

The third section, "Space and Gender: Geopoetical Approaches," delves into the experience of gender as a political, territorial, and communicative exploration. The essays in this division examine social organization and its symbolic analysis, resulting in literary texts that feature psychological production theories.

The fourth section, "Space and Ethics: Geocritical Ventures," analyzes the development of ethical approaches adapted to or critical of colonial expansion. The essays in this division explore the early modern globalization process, where locals, explorers, immigrants, adventurers, and intellectuals remake themselves in new places, engage in or encounter resistance, or attempt to rework local sociopolitical systems while reassessing those they are familiar with.

In addition to these sections, the book also includes an analysis of the tactile object of the book as an arena for commerce, politics, and authorial experimentation. The "Space of the Book, the Book as Space: Printing, Reading, Publishing" section explores the ways in which the book has been shaped by printing, reading, and publishing practices, and how it has influenced the development of literature and culture.

Overall, this volume offers a comprehensive exploration of the complex relationship between cosmology in evolution and the literary response in the sixteenth century, providing valuable insights into the ways in which writers responded to the changing cosmological landscape and how literature and space intertwined.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781469667409