Spatial Engagement with Poetry

Heather H. Yeung is AHRC Memory Network Postdoctoral Research Assistant at the University of Roehampton, UK.

"In Spatial Engagement with Poetry, Heather H. Yeung offers a significant contribution to research in the expanding field of literary eco-criticism. The book is divided into two main sections; the first, more theoretical inquiry sets the stage for the second section's very close readings of contemporary lyric poetry. One of Spatial Engagement's many strong points is its charting of eco-critical methodology in relation to poetic voice - a development which could also be applied to various writers outside of the scope of this book." - Peter Jaeger, Professor of Poetics, Roehampton University, UK "Yeung's perspective, from Orkney, Hong Kong, Southern England and places beyond and in between, makes for a fascinating account of the critical and creative possibilities of a spatial engagement with poetry. Her work on affective mapping supports reading practices that can take full account of the complexities of varieties of contemporary poetry and their inter-relationships with geographical and spatial practices. The introduction of the idea of 'vocalic space,' in a critical field that has privileged the visual, is a timely and important contribution that can bring together the lyrical and the performative in order to provide a full picture of the spatial practices of a speaking body." - Ian C. Davidson, Professor of Modern and Contemporary Literature, Northumbria University, UK

• Introduction: The Map and the Voice PART I 1. Mapping 1: The Poem as Space 2. Interlude 1: scripturacontinuaconvivavoce 3. Mapping 2: The Poem of Space 4. Interlude 2: The Poem in Space 5. Mapping 3: Vocalic Space and Affective Engagement 6. Interlude 3: The Poetic Map, Vocalised PART II 7. Economies of Poetic Production: The Poetry of Thomas Kinsella 8. Landscapes of the Body: The Poetry of Kathleen Jamie 9. The Poetics of Intimate Perception: Mimi Khalvati 10. Of Passage and Process: Alice Oswald's Dart Coda: d'autres mappemondes