Constructions of Space: The Literary Configuration of "the English Countryside"

The Chapter is based on recent interdisciplinary perspectives on the semiotic and symbolic Construction of space (E.W.Soja, P.Virilio, M.Augé et al.)It also explores (with reference to several literary texts from the Renaissance to the twentieth century) how the rural space has been experienced and theoretically framed. It proposes a central role of literature in the creation of the "English rural space" and of its cultural and political significance.