Road narratives, tales of explorations, travels, journeys of all kinds loom large in the North American literary imagination. Hence the importance, sometimes even the primacy, of space as a key critical category in that field. Myths of infinite mobility, the concept of wilderness or that of the frontier can all be traced back as foundational, if disputed, categories in North American letters. As central as those concerns might be, however, there is no consensus as to their exact meaning or precise contours, but rather a long history of writers, poets and thinkers trying to make sense of here and carve out their own understanding of where they are. This is why this seminar will examine North American literature’s fascination for space as a contentious issue, steeped in critical, historical, and theoretical controversies that have challenged the American sense of belonging. In doing so, we will try to answer simple questions about the cultural specificity of space in North American literature, from a wide range of angles and locations, pertaining to the representation of nature, the investigation of genealogy and inheritance, the direction of one’s moral journey, as well as aspects of ecological writing. Texts will include fiction, poetry, and essays, from across the 20th century.
- Trainer/in: Xavier Kalck