Literary Geography: An Encyclopedia of Real and Imagined Settings

(Hardback)

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Description

This reference investigates the role of landscape in popular works and in doing so explores the time in which they were written. Literary Geography: An Encyclopedia of Real and Imagined Settings is an authoritative guide for students, teachers, and avid readers who seek to understand the importance of setting in interpreting works of literature, including poetry. By examining how authors and poets shaped their literary landscapes in such works as The Great Gatsby and Nineteen Eighty-Four, readers will discover historical, political, and cultural context hidden within the words of their favorite reads. The alphabetically arranged entries provide easy access to analysis of some of the most well-known and frequently assigned pieces of literature and poetry. Entries begin with a brief introduction to the featured piece of literature and then answer the questions: "How is literary landscape used to shape the story"; "How is the literary landscape imbued with the geographical, political, cultural, and historical context of the author's contemporary world, whether purposeful or not" Pop-up boxes provide quotes about literary landscapes throughout the book, and an appendix takes a brief look at the places writers congregated and that inspired them. A comprehensive scholarly bibliography of secondary sources pertaining to mapping, physical and cultural geography, ecocriticism, and the role of nature in literature rounds out the work.

Reviews

High school and college students will find excellent examples of how to study the geographical components of literature, while book clubs will discover fresh approaches to old and new classics. * Library Journal *
Meticulously compiled, this is a thought-provoking literary aid. * Kirkus Reviews *
The encyclopedia is geared toward high school students and general readers, but it might also be useful to first-year undergraduates in introductory literature courses. * Choice *
From Slaughterhouse-Five to Macbeth and from the Lord of the Flies to Gulliver's Travels, the author expertly delivers nuggets of wisdom in a manner that might prove fruitful and valuable to both the layperson and to the academic alike. * U.S. Review of Books *

Author Bio

Lynn Marie Houston, PhD, has spent nearly two decades teaching college English courses, from developmental classes to graduate seminars. She is also a senior tutor and instructional support specialist at the Sacred Heart University.