Lingua Cultura, 18.
July 2024, 21-27 DOI: 10.
21512/lc.
P-ISSN: 1978-8118
E-ISSN: 2460-710X
REVISITING FRANCO MORETTIAoS CONCEPT AND PRACTICE
OF LITERARY GEOGRAPHY
Shuping Chen* Huaqiao University.
Quanzhou.
China 36202 jasminechen0926@163.
Received: 31st October 2023/Revised: 18th February 2024/Accepted: 29th February 2024 How to Cite: Chen.
Revisiting Franco MorettiAos concept and practice of literary geography.
Lingua Cultura, 18.
, 21-27.
https://doi.
org/10.
21512/lc.
ABSTRACT
The research observed Franco Moretti, an influential Italian literary critic who had made significant contributions to the field of literary geography, a cross-disciplinary theory that utilized geographical methods to analyze and understand literary and cultural materials.
MorettiAos approach to literary geography diverged from traditional and orthodox methods, offering a fresh perspective.
The research applied a qualitative method with a closereading approach to evaluate and explore MorettiAos conceptualization and implementation of literary geography through a systematic three-step research process.
The first step involved identifying the intellectual and theoretical sources of inspiration that have influenced MorettiAos work.
The second step focused on illuminating MorettiAos innovative understanding and interpretation of literary geography as well as his integration of literary maps into the analysis of literature.
Lastly, the research investigated two case studies to further exemplify MorettiAos practices in the field of literary geography.
The first case study regarded Jane AustenAos fiction, where MorettiAos approach unveils AustenAos geographical imagination of Britain in her novels.
The second one centers on Mary MitfordAos AoOur VillageAo, where Moretti discovered the circular narrative pattern.
By undertaking these three comprehensive steps, the research offers valuable insights into literary geographyAos conceptual and methodological dimensions.
Additionally, it endeavors to cultivate a deeper appreciation for the interdisciplinary nature of literary geography, thereby inspiring scholars and researchers to delve further into the intersections between geography, literature, and culture.
Keywords: Franco Moretti, literary geography, literary map
INTRODUCTION
Franco Moretti is an Italian literary critic, positivist, and leftist intellectual.
He is known for his mobile interfaces (Arseniev, 2.
, academic mobility (Velmezova & Kull, 2.
, and unrestrained individuation (Ercolino, 2.
, as he constantly changes his workplaces and research focuses.
Moretti receives his early higher education at the University of Rome.
In 1990, he relocated to the United States and worked at Columbia University until 2000.
that point, he moved to Stanford University and established the Center for the Study of the Novel in 2000 and later the Stanford Literary Lab in 2010.
Since 2016.
Moretti has joined the Digital Humanities Institute in Switzerland, becoming a leading figure in the international movement of Aodigital humanitiesAo.
*Corresponding Author Actually.
MorettiAos academic career can be divided into two phases: close reading and distant reading (Cistelecan, 2.
The second phase began with Atlas of the European Novel (Moretti, 1.
, namely, literary geography.
Though Moretti is widely recognized for his concepts of Aodistant readingAo and Aoquantitative formalismAo (Pilshchikov, 2.
, as well as his practice of digital humanities, it is important to acknowledge the significance of literary geography in his intellectual journey.
In fact.
MorettiAos concept and application of literary geography have not only anticipated but also propelled his subsequent endeavors in quantitative and digital experimentation.
Literary geography refers to a branch of humanity that uses geographical methods to study literary materials.
Specifically, literary geography aims at the cross-disciplinary study of literature, geography, and spatial theory.
HoskinsAos book The Making of the English Landscape .
revolutionized the perception of landscape.
He argued that landscape is not limited to the natural sciences but is a reflection of a nationAos social and cultural history (Taylor.
Donaldson, & Gregory, 2.
This humanistic view of geography has paved the way for the development of literary geography.
Marc BrosseauAos GeographyAos Literature, published in 1994, is an iconic work in the history of literary geography.
Before 1994, literary geography was mainly concerned with the literary imagination and representation of geography.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the study of maps in literary works gradually attracted attention.
In the 1990s, another new direction of geographical study began to emerge, emphasizing the social, cultural, and political contexts in which literature is created and received.
The spatial turn of cultural studies and the cultural turn of geography in the late 1990s and early 2000s have stimulated the exchange of ideas and theories across disciplines (Hones, 2.
Drawing inspiration from Western Marxism.
MorettiAos approach to literary geography deviates from conventional and established methods, presenting a novel and thought-provoking perspective.
This departure prompts the research to embark on a comprehensive and systematic reassessment of MorettiAos conceptualization of literary geography, particularly with regard to his innovative use of the literary map as a tool for interpreting literature.
delving into the intricacies of MorettiAos approach, the research aims to shed new light on the potential of literary geography to uncover hidden spatial dimensions and enrich the understanding of literary METHODS In the research, a qualitative approach with a close-reading method is employed to critically investigate and evaluate MorettiAos concept and practice of literary geography.
This is accomplished through a three-step research process, focusing on the analysis of MorettiAos representative works, specifically the Atlas of the European Novel (Moretti, 1.
and Graphs.
Maps.
Trees (Moretti, 2.
First, the research probes into the sources of inspiration that have shaped MorettiAos conception of literary geography.
By exploring the intellectual and theoretical influences that guided his thinking, a deeper understanding of the origins of MorettiAos innovative approach can be gained.
Moreover, the research expounds on MorettiAos distinctive interpretation of literary geography, illuminating the unique perspectives he brings to the field.
By closely examining his theoretical framework and the fundamental principles he employs in crafting literary maps, the significance of his contributions to this interdisciplinary domain can be further comprehended.
Finally, the research presents two compelling case studies to illustrate MorettiAos implementation of literary geography: Jane AustenAos fiction and Mary MitfordAos Our Village.
These case studies serve as concrete examples that demonstrate the practical implications and insights that emerge from the application of MorettiAos approach to literary geography.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
There are three major sources of inspiration for Moretti to conceive and practice literary geography.
The first source dates back to the late 1950s when MorettiAos father drew young MorettiAos attention to Aofour large marble maps of the MediterraneanAo in Via dei Fori Imperiali (Moretti, 1.
This encounter left an indelible impression on Moretti and ignited his fascination with geography.
The sight of these magnificent maps has sparked a deep curiosity within young Moretti, planting the seeds of a geographical dream that would shape his future endeavors.
The mapsAo intricate details and expansive scope open his eyes to the potential connections between geography and literature, igniting a desire to explore the spatial dimensions of literary works.
MorettiAos understanding of literary geography has also been gradually shaped by the subtle influences of various notable Western Marxist scholars.
When Moretti was in Italy, he was heavily influenced by contemporary Western Marxism.
During his college years.
Moretti engaged in leftist politics, befriended Perry Anderson, and published papers and books in the most influential leftist academic journals and presses in the West, namely.
New Left Review and Verso.
Among these Western Marxist scholars.
Fredric Jameson.
Algirdas Julien Greimas, and Pierre Bourdieu are of profound significance.
According to Moretti .
BourdieuAos influential work.
The Rules of Art, which illustrates the literary field of FlaubertAos Sentimental Education, has served as inspiration for Moretti to incorporate cultural and social space into the realm of literary analysis.
Additionally.
Perry AndersonAos thought-provoking work.
Considerations on Western Marxism, has demonstrated to Moretti the power and allure of utilizing geography as a tool for cultural analysis, particularly through the depiction of geographical distributions of Marxist thinkers.
This exposure to AndersonAos work has unveiled to Moretti the capacity of geography to shed light on the cultural dynamics and intellectual landscapes that shape literary production and reception.
Nonetheless, the most immediate and direct impetus for MorettiAos creation of Atlas of the European Novel: 1800-1900 should be attributed to Fernand Braudel, a prominent figure in the French Annales school of historiography.
Moretti .
has explained that BraudelAos statement.
AuWe have museum catalogues, but no artistic atlases.
Ay, prompted him to address this potential gap by conceiving the idea of producing a literary atlas specifically focused on European fiction.
LINGUA CULTURA.
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18 No.
July 2024, 21-27 Moretti .
acknowledges that some literary atlases have existed prior to his undertaking.
Examples of such atlases include J.
BartholomewAos Literary and Historical Atlas of Europe.
Michael HardwickeAos Literary Atlas and Gazetteer of the British Isles.
David DaichesAos Literary Landscapes of the British Isles: A Narrative Atlas, and others.
However, these existing literary atlases of European nation-states merely fill BraudelAos gap in quantity rather than quality.
In these works, maps often play a marginal role, remaining silent and absent from the process of interpretation (Moretti.
In a word, in traditional literary collections, the map is treated as a form of Aopresent absenceAo.
Moretti disagrees with this approach, as he believes that Augeography is not an inert container, is not a box where cultural history AohappensAo, but an active force, that pervades the literary field and shapes it in depth.
map is precisely that, a connection made visible Ae allows us to see some significant relationships that have so far escaped us.
Ay (Moretti, 1.
MorettiAos journey towards a qualitative transformation in literary cartography is not without challenges.
Financial and technical setbacks keep interrupting his progress, and he encounters failures along the way.
Nevertheless, his unwavering determination leads to the creation of a book featuring 91 maps and diagrams.
As Moretti .
states, his ambition is to Aurestart the wider enterprise of a historical atlas of literatureAy.
By recognizing the sources of influence and acknowledging BraudelAos call for artistic atlases.
MorettiAos conception of literary geography becomes situated within a broader intellectual context.
The subsequent part of this research aims to investigate how Moretti effectively integrates the concept of a literary map into his literary analysis, representing a crucial step in his methodology.
It is a common belief among cartographers that Aua good map is worth a thousand wordsAy, and Moretti .
agrees: Aubecause it produces a thousand words:
it raises doubts, ideas.
Ay Moretti is dedicated to bringing a completely different view and experience of literary geography to a broad audience.
He believes that the implementation of literary geography consists of three steps: .
selecting appropriate textual units and collecting large amounts of data.
re-planning the map according to the data.
applying the generated map to explain the evolving process and the general pattern of literary history.
MorettiAos first step in literary geography is to select a proper research unit and collect large amounts of data and information.
Traditional literary geography follows the Aoclose readingAo approach typical of literary criticism, focusing in detail on a single author or a particular text.
Moretti goes in the opposite direction, focusing more on the elements either AoaboveAo or AobelowAo the text.
The elements AoaboveAo the text include typical genres such as tragedies and novels, as well as subgenres/genres such as historical novels, gothic novels, and detective novels.
His purpose is to depict the history of dynamic spatial literature by tracing the Revisiting Franco MorettiAos Concept.
(Shuping Che.
distribution and diffusion of genres in geographical Whereas the element AobelowAo the text normally refers to a specific element of the textAos narrative, such as walking, litigation, clues, luxury goods, and so MorettiAos approach is to Auabstract them from the narrative flow and construct a new, artificial objectAy.
(Moretti, 2.
He agrees with the proposition that Auindivisible units .
as analytical tools for the study of dynamic processes in literatureAy (Markovy & Novaes, 2.
Then.
Moretti designs and draw maps according to different elements.
This process is also called Aovisual representationAo or AovisualizationAo, which is considered a Aofield-definingAo practice in literary geography (Moretti & Sobchuk, 2.
Unlike various nonrepresentational theories, literary/cultural geography is only possible using representation (Anderson.
Hence, representation or visualization is the core of literary geography.
Under the trend of quantitative historiography.
Moretti gradually abandons conventional hermeneutics and turns to the quantification of extensive literary works (Moretti.
Moretti first tries quantitative criticism in Atlas.
His early quantitative research relies on more basic software and tools.
For example, he uses Excel to make simple statistical tables and charts, and many of the maps in the book are even hand-drawn.
Later, in 2005, he published Graphs.
Maps.
Trees, a collection of his early quantitative literature studies, including various quantitative charts, spatial maps, and evolutionary The 2018 Cambridge literary geography roundtable conference suggested that the future of literary geography relies on collaboration.
There are three ways of collaboration: collaboration between researchers, collaboration between teachers and students, and public literary geography (McLaughlin.
In 2010.
Moretti founded the Stanford Literary Lab with Matthew Jockers, which means he has moved into a new quantitative research phase, from individual research to teamwork.
Moreover.
MorettiAos literary cartography project at ETH Zurich, which is called A Literary Atlas of Europe, has begun using Geographic Information System technology.
Hence, planning and mapping no longer rely solely on human hands but on big data.
It should be noted that MorettiAos drawing process is actually inspired by Karl PopperAos Method of Trial and Error, which is to achieve a given research goal through continuous experimentation and elimination of errors.
This purely empirical research method tests the subjectAos clear cognition of the goal, the comprehensive grasp of the research object, and the precise control and appropriate adjustment of the MorettiAos each map and chart reflect his selection and combination of textual elements.
Thus, his maps are not intended to show precise positions but rather to reveal relative positions and their networks of relationships.
As Andrew .
maintains, all the Aospatial eventsAo and Aotextual eventsAo can be social and political events.
MorettiAos ultimate goal is to employ maps to explain literary history.
Moretti .
proposes that the key function of literary maps is to reveal the internal logic of narrative.
Moreover, literary maps can provide a unique Aonarrative universeAo, in which the literary elements are arranged in different combinations enough to re-emerge the forms hidden in the text.
AoexposingAo the neglected map of literary history, thus bringing unexpected modes of literary interpretation (Moretti, 2.
In other words.
Moretti tries to use the map to draw peopleAos attention to the problem of history and form and put forward a new paradigm for writing literary history.
Literary form is the result of the interaction of two different forces, the internal force of rhetoric and the external force of society, and a true literary history should, therefore, cover both forces and their dynamic connections.
Moretti has been looking for the history of literature in the form of space and time, and the literary map is an important breakthrough.
In the last section of the research.
MorettiAos two case studies are examined closely, demonstrating his utilization of maps as a means of interpreting literature and history.
The first case study delves into Jane AustenAos fiction, while the second one focuses on Mary MitfordAos Our Village.
In the first case.
Moretti intends to disclose and prove the symbolic relationship existing between Jane AustenAos fiction and the construction of the national identity of Great Britain in the eighteenth century.
Moretti .
emphasizes that the novel is the artistic imagination and formal representation of the nationstate, even the Aoonly symbolic formAo.
In order to clarify the symbolic relationship between the novel and the nation-state.
Moretti .
takes six of AustenAos masterpieces and plots the locations of the beginning and the ending of each book on a map of Britain.
This map is titled Jane AustenAos Britain (Figure .
As Figure 1 demonstrates.
Moretti uses a triangle to indicate the beginnings and a circle to indicate the Northanger Abbey starts at Fullerton and ends at Woodston.
Sense and Sensibility are Norland Park and Delaford, respectively.
Pride and Prejudice is Longbourn and Pemberley.
Mansfield Park is Portsmouth and Thornton Lacey.
Emma is Hartfield and Highbury.
Persuasion begins at Kellynch Hall with no clear end.
Based on the systematic combing and visual presentation of the starting point and the ending point of the plot of AustenAos masterpieces.
Moretti .
discovers a rule or hidden pattern:
AustenAos conception of Britain merely refers to AoEnglandAo without Ireland.
Scotland, and Wales, that is.
England without the AoCeltic fringeAo.
Moreover, since the plot usually begins in the heroineAos hometown and ends in the marriage residence of the hero and heroine, the two geospatial flows point to the traditional British AoNational Marriage MarketAo (Moretti, 1.
The marriage market gave British women in the 18th century the opportunity and right to a certain degree of spatial mobility, and Austen narrowed the spatial mobilization of this special social Figure 1 Jane AustenAos Britain .
rom Franco Moretti.
Atlas of the European Nove.
LINGUA CULTURA.
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18 No.
July 2024, 21-27 relationship to England, the AohometownAo she identified Austen lived in Great Britain during the Industrial Revolution, but England, presented in her novels, has limitations, and there is a huge difference between the historical and geographical space of the novel.
In other words.
Austen overlaps the image of England with that of Great Britain as a nation-state.
In this sense.
Austen acts as the AohelperAo of the modern nation-state image She compresses the real geographical space of Great Britain and places the heroes and heroines in the English homeland that is without war, invasion, overseas colonies, and Aobarbaric languageAo.
The representation of the nation-state in AustenAos novels is not only to rebuild the safe AohomeAo, but also to symbolically resolve the historical conflicts between the state and the local.
Since the 18th century, the peak of the enclosure movement, the take-off of the Industrial Revolution, and the convenience of transportation have led to the gradual evolution of the nation-state from an abstract concept to a means of rule, profoundly affecting everyone.
The contradiction between the local and the state has become increasingly Since the nation-state represents Aoa wider, more abstract, more enigmatic dominionAo (Moretti, 1.
, a new symbolic form is needed to understand the nation-state.
The plot of AustenAos novel begins by showing the crisis of the homeland, and through a seductive journey and a happy ending .
he marriage between the local gentry represented by Elizabeth and the national aristocrat represented by Darcy in Pride and Prejudic.
, attempts to reappear and symbolically resolve the contradictions between the nation-state and the local, the new and the old.
Moretti .
states that Austen rewrites Aothe strange, harsh novelty of the modern state, and turns it into a large, exquisite homeAo.
Consequently, the collusion between AustenAos novels and the image of the British nation-state is clearly The second case study is Mary MitfordAos Our Village, which is taken from MorettiAos Graphs.
Our Village is a collection of about 100 literary sketches of country life written by Mitford, originally published in the 1820s and 1830s.
The series first appeared in Ladies Magazine under the full title Our Village:
Sketches of Rural Character and Scenery.
This vivid series is based on the life of AoThree Mile CrossAo, a small village where she lives.
Taking the 24 stories in the first volume of Our Village as the research object.
Moretti .
selects three elements, including the charactersAo relationships (Ellen.
Hannah.
Cousin Mar.
, natural landscapes (Frost and Thaw.
Violeting.
The first primros.
, and collective activities (Cricket and Mayin.
in the stories.
Then, he begins marking the starting and ending points of each characterAos Aocountry walkAo in the village.
Unexpectedly, the narrative flows of Our Village, after being visualized, present a AocircularAo pattern (Figure .
According to Figure 2, the main charactersAo walks are centered around the village, resulting in a double-decker circular narrative map.
The proximity of individuals to the inner circle corresponds to a closer integration of the landscape with human activity, resulting in a smaller scale of farm work.
Conversely, as the relationship between characters becomes more distant, the landscape takes on a more natural character, accompanied by a larger scale of farm work.
It turns out that the villageAos kinship and social relations are reflected in a circular pattern in the Moretti argues that the simplicity of the rural geographical environment and social space leads to the circular narrative pattern.
In order to know whether the previous pattern is a coincidence.
Moretti .
tweaks the variables and redraws a map of the Aospatial division of laborAo (Figure .
, with the characterAos occupation as a key element.
As shown in Figure 3, the occupations that Figure 2 Mary Mitford.
Our Village.
Volume 1 (From Franco Moretti.
Graphs.
Maps.
Tree.
Revisiting Franco MorettiAos Concept.
(Shuping Che.
Figure 3 Mary Mitford.
Our Village: Spatial Division of Labour (From Franco Moretti.
Graphs.
Maps.
Tree.
provide life services, such as priests, shoemakers, craftsmen, carpenters, and hotel employees, tend to be located in the villageAos central area.
The gypsies, who are marginal groups, and the rat and bird catchers, who are not common in daily life, occupy the peripheral position in the division of labor space but still belong to the scope of village life.
In MitfordAos Our Village, most people living in town B, far from the village, are soldiers, itinerant showgirls, opera houses, markets, and other personnel related to military, entertainment, and trade.
Inhabitants in the outskirts of London encompass a range of individuals, from fashionable tailors and affluent homeowners to professional workers like magicians, who are even more distanced from the daily experiences of the villagers.
In essence, those occupations closely tie to everyday needs or root in traditional folk practices are situated nearer to the center of the village.
Conversely, specialized, standardized, and recreational occupations tend to gravitate away from the center, representing a more peripheral presence for villagers.
Through these maps.
Moretti has found the hidden circular narrative pattern in MitfordAos narrative, which reflects the ancient picture of rural life before the Enclosure movement in EnglandAeself-sufficient, isolated, and cyclic.
For people who often travel for work or tourists, a village is just one stop .
tarting point, midpoint, or destinatio.
on a broader journey.
However, for the villagers who have always lived in the closed area, life, work, marriage, and love revolve around the village, so the village has become the center of the world.
MorettiAos literary cartography has been influenced by BakhtinAos notion of chronotope.
Chronotope refers to the time-space relation in narratives, which becomes the basis for digitally mapping spatial meaning in literary works (Bushell et al.
, 2.
MorettiAos discovery of the Aocircular patternAo coincides with BakhtinAos narration of the idyllic chronotope.
By visualizing the plot narratives of MitfordAos Our Village.
Moretti further confirms BakhtinAos conjectures and elaborations on the cyclic nature of pastoral life presented in idyllic novels.
Moreover.
MorettiAos literary maps help to reveal or recreate the self-sufficient and secluded life in English country novels before the Enclosure Movement and the Industrial Revolution.
CONCLUSIONS
The research has undertaken a systematic and comprehensive exploration of MorettiAos notion and practice of literary geography by uncovering the sources of inspiration, elucidating his unique understanding, and providing examples through case studies.
Through the investigation, it becomes evident that diverse intellectual and theoretical foundations, particularly Western Marxist thoughts and French historiography, underpin MorettiAos conception of literary geography, attesting to his interdisciplinary consciousness and Through his integration of the literary map into his analysis.
Moretti has expanded the scope of literary studies and paved the way for further interdisciplinary research.
The two case studies serve as compelling examples that highlight the capacity of literary geography to enhance comprehension of the intricate interplay between space, narrative, and sociohistorical contexts.
In summary, the research contributes to the ongoing discourse on literary geography through the lens of MorettiAos work and offers insights into the LINGUA CULTURA.
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July 2024, 21-27 interdisciplinary nature of this field.
It aims to foster a deeper appreciation for the dynamic relationship between literature, culture, and space, enabling scholars and researchers to gain a nuanced understanding of the intricacies of literary works.
However, it is important to note that this research adopts a qualitative approach with a close-reading method, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.
The focus on a limited number of case studies and the subjective nature of interpretations could potentially restrict the broader applicability of the research conclusions.
address this limitation, future studies could consider integrating quantitative or mixed method approaches to complement the qualitative analysis.
REFERENCES