Abstract
As there is no concensus over the main implications of spatial turn, literary scholars who wish to pursue spatial studies in literature have many theoretical approches to choose from. My current research is focused on Prague as a real geographical place that is used as a setting for a number of literary text, including several Dutch novels.
The issue of referentiality is central to my study and my research is based on insights of Bertrand Westphal that are elaborated in his geocritical studies. IIn my presentation I am exploring both the epistemological and performative potential of literary space.
A literary space is never purely mimetic, but it is to a certain extent always pertaining to its referent in the real world. Having this in mind I am trying to answer the following questions: Which Prague is the subject matter when it is a literary place? How does this literary place relate to other instances of the same geographical place in other (non-)literary texts? How does it relate to the human experience of the real space en vice versa?