Archetype Project: Geography Matters

Introduction and Definitions Setting and location are incredibly important to a literary work, as the author makes a conscious choice to describe a certain place and context, thus having profound implications for the story and for the reader Geography "shapes and influences the plotline, characters, and personality" (Foster) Descriptions of landscapes/cities can serve as extension of psychology, politics, economics, other subjects that affect human lives (Foster) Impact of humans on the environment, part of basic types of conflict (Man vs. Nature)

Specific Characteristics of Geography in Literature Particular types of landscapes often convey specific themes/tones Prairies often used to convey vastness, emptiness, beauty (many classic American stories set in the Mid-West use prairies/plains extensively in describing the setting, for example) Romantic literature/poetry often uses mountains to convey grand majesty or sublimity (Foster) North vs. South divide, characters head South usually to run amok due to them struggling with their own subconscious (Foster)

Geography in Invisible Man Invisible Man is the story of a man living underground and his recollection of how he got there. Growing up in southern society, he knew of the divide caused by race, and even when receiving honors and a scholarship for his abilities, was mocked by white people. Upon reaching the north, it was revealed to him the divide in treatment of blacks due to geography. Black police officers were respected, he was able to interact with white people and treated by white doctors. The division caused by racism was still apparent in the ways they spoke to each other, but much less tension and animosity between races was noticeable beyond the Brotherhood. The divisions and similarities in racial relations between the Northern and Southern societies are portrayed through the characters interactions and view on actions taken by characters. Where in the south some men would force them to compete for prizes, there existed people in the north who had fantasies of being raped by a black man. Geography in the text wasn't the deciding factor on if racism existed in an area, but focused on what racism meant in each area- their own regionalized racist practices.

Geography in Other Works Tim O'Brien's Going After Cacciato and The Things They Carried: Both works use the jungles of Vietnam as a character in it of itself, the natural terrain is often a greater obstacle than enemy troops, the rain and swamps carry diseases, infections, grass and rice paddies conceal land mines and booby traps, invisible until it is too late, leeches and insects suck on the blood of American soldiers just as much as bullets do, tunnels and secret passages conceal Viet Cong fighters, combat is brief, close-quarters, and brutal, ending as quickly as it begins American soldiers take out their anger and frustration on the land and anything on it (hills, villages, free-fire zones, massive artillery barrages to kill one lone sniper, etc.), the terrain itself reveals the horrors of war (Foster)

Geography in Other Works Continued Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness: The description of the journey up the Congo River is essential to the novel's critique of colonialism and imperialism, the narrator witnesses horrifying abuse and savage treatment of African laborers at the hands of so-called "civilized" Europeans, and as he travels deeper into the "Heart of Darkness" he in effect travels into the subconscious, eventually meeting the tortured soul of Kurtz, geography reveals the hypocrisy of European colonialist attitudes, and shows the depths of human depravity (Fosters) Conrad also uses geography to note the similarities between the supposed "civilized" world of London and the so-called "savage" lands of the Congo Free State, both are brutal and violent, geography is used to advance a societal critique