The Space of English

The study of the spatial dimensions of Language and literature defines a common ground for a number of important approaches to the contemporary study of English. In literary study, these include attention to the representation of architectural and urban space, the role of mapping and landscape description, and the function of the "bibliographic" space of the printed text on the page. In linguistic study, space is interpreted here both geographically, in terms of regional variation, and as a fundamental dimension of referentiality that bears on the structure of Language.

Historically, these essays range from the earliest period of the English Language to the present moment. Together, they show how scholars working in very different fields - from architectural theory to dialectology - can come together to help define an exciting new field of study.