The 'spatial turn' in literary theory has been a significant one, rivalling the traditional focus on time and history. The notion of literary and critical 'space' is drawn from postmodern and poststructural thought, but it is also seen in areas such as postcolonialism, globalization and ecocriticism as traditional spatial or geographic limits are erased or redrawn. Divided into six chapters, each dealing with different aspects of the spatial in literary studies, this clear guide provides: An overview of the spatial turn in literary theory from modern philosophy and historicism to cartography and literary theory Introductions to the major theorists such as Michel Foucault, David Harvey, Edward Soja, Erich Auerbach, Georg Lukács, and Mikhail Bakhtin An analysis of spatiality from a variety of perspectives the writer as map-maker, different literary and critical 'spaces', the concept of literary geography, cartographics and geocriticism. As the first guide to the literature and criticism of 'space', this clear and engaging book is essential reading.