Novels, thrillers and stories set in different regions or specific locations have been booming in recent years. Space seems to be an additional reason for reading literature.
In literary texts, space is not only a place of action, but also a cultural carrier of meaning (e.g. Clifford Geertz: Dense Description). Cultural norms, aesthetics, design principles and hierarchies of values find a concretely illustrative form in literary space; conversely, literary spaces also have an influence on spatial decisions or influence planning processes. The focus course deals with the description of spaces and places in different types of literature (e.g. fiction, comics, blogs, ...) and what conclusions can be drawn from this for planning and planning practice. The following questions can be addressed:
- How differently is space perceived and described?
- The tension between fiction and reality
- What is space in literature and how is it described?
- How are social, cultural and aesthetic concepts dealt with in space? What can we learn from literary descriptions of space for planning practice?
- ...
In every story, in every novel, events take place in space and create images in the reader's mind. In spatial planning, spatial images are described in words and pictures and are also intended to create the corresponding images of the future in people's minds. How do writers narrate space? What is relevant, what is condensed, in short, what is important? Where does a description of space that is too flowery destroy the imagination? When do the texts create images in the reader's mind? What happens in the mind? How does the brain construct a spatial image? What are the cornerstones? How does a plot move in space? What does the space demand of the characters? We would like to get to the bottom of some of these questions in the writing workshop in Drosendorf in May.
Procedure
Kick-off on March 13, 2024 from 16:00-19:00
Book club on April 10 from 16:00-19:00
Reading and analyzing literary descriptions of space. Text examples of own choice or recommendation e.g. Ernest Hemingway, Raymond Carver, Peter Handke, Marlene Haushofer, Eugene Dabit, Georges Perec, ....
Space writing workshop in Drosendorf May 13-17, 2024 (5 days incl. arrival and departure, excursion grant has been applied for), public reading on Thursday, May 16.
Write/narrate descriptions of the space yourself, topics can be chosen, write a future story about the potential of the place and describe a utopia/dystopia.
Speaker
Reinhard Tötschinger is a writer, book editor, illustrator and worked in the theater for many years. He has been teaching planning ethics in the Master's degree program for years. His third novel will be published by Picus Verlag in fall 2021.
Petra Hirschler is a spatial planner and book lover. She teaches and researches gender planning, topography of values, climate change and spaces in between, among other topics.
