Maps of the Imagination

The Writer as Cartographer

Peter Turchi

• Publisher: Trinity University Press
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN: 9781595340412
• eBook ISBN: 9781595340948
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Literature General
• Index: Literature

Maps of the Imagination takes us on a magic carpet ride over terrain both familiar and exotic. Using the map as a metaphor, fiction writer Peter Turchi considers writing as a combination of exploration and presentation, all the while serving as an erudite and charming guide. He compares the way a writer leads a reader though the imaginary world of a story, novel, or poem to the way a mapmaker charts the physical world. "To ask for a map," says Turchi, "is to say, 'Tell me a story.’ "
With intelligence and wit, the author looks at how mapmakers and writers deal with blank space and the blank page; the conventions they use or consciously disregard; the role of geometry in maps and the parallel role of form in writing; how both maps and writing serve to re-create an individual’s view of the world; and the artist’s delicate balance of intuition with intention.
A unique combination of history, critical cartography, personal essay, and practical guide to writing, Maps of the Imagination is a book for writers, for readers, and for anyone interested in creativity. Colorful illustrations and Turchi’s insightful observations make his book both beautiful and a joy to read.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Praise for MAPS OF THE IMAGINATION
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Copyright
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• METAPHOR: OR, THE MAP
• A WIDE LANDSCAPE OF SNOWS
• PROJECTIONS AND CONVENTIONS
• IMAGINARY SCROLLS
• THEATER OF THE WORLD
• A RIGOROUS GEOMETRY
• PLUS ULTRA
• POINTS OF REFERENCE
• LEGEND
• ILLUSTRATION CREDITS
• ABOUT THE AUTHOR