Wordscapes 2 essays.

Any investigation of spatial nodes must take into account the spatiality of literature itself. One might argue (as does George Perec in Espèces d'espaces), that the description of a place in literature always begins with the space of the blank page, and no one can dismiss the fact that the spaces created in literature are distinct from other forms of art. Also, the literal space of the book, page and letter has a regional history, which includes the reluctance of literature to become a transparent medium for, among other things, places. Another matter to be considered under this heading are the places that do not seemingly exist—imagined worlds as in science fiction, fantastic travelogues, stereotyped lyrical places, a place like Moominland, even realistic novels located in fictional places. These are kinds of literature and kinds of places that we may otherwise easily overlook.

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