Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.8, 2015

Literary Mapping

(Abstract)

Mei Xinlin

“Literary mapping,” as the “second language” of literary geography, aims to transplant and borrow “cartographic” theories, methodology and techniques to represent and reveal the forms and meanings of literary geographical space by means of the organic integration of the two general narrative language systems, “image/word.” It has a relatively complete image/word structure and an intertextual function. In a view of the discrepancy between the fashion for literary mapping and the lack of theoretical research on the subject at the turn of the present century, we need to systematically study changes in the form and concept of literary mapping from the angles of historical recovery and construction, and discuss such issues as temporal-spatial logic, image/word structure, intertextual function and the binary method of literary mapping on the basis of such academic approaches as the inter-disciplinary criticism model and research methodology, so as to provide new theoretical inspiration for the study of literary geography and literary history.