The Idea of Spatial Form
The Idea of Spatial Form by Joseph Frank, published by Rutgers University Press in 1991, is a significant work that introduces the concept of “spatial form” into literary discussion. This edition includes the classic essay from 1945, which has been foundational for modern literary theory, along with two later essays that address major critiques and contextualize the theory within Russian Formalism and French Structuralism. The book spans 196 pages and is presented in English.
Readers will find a thorough exploration of the formal experiments in avant-garde literature and their implications for a broader poetics of the literary text. The discussions also engage with notable figures such as André Malraux and Heinrich Wölfflin, providing insights into the intersections of architecture, literary criticism, and cultural studies. New material, including footnotes and postscripts, enhances the original essays, illustrating the ongoing relevance of the concepts discussed.
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The Idea of Spatial Form contains the classic essay that introduced the concept of “spatial form” into literary discussion in 1945, and has since been accepted as one of the foundations for a theory of modern literature. It is here reprinted along with two later reconsiderations, one of which answers its major critics, while the second places the theory in relation to Russian Formalism and French Structuralism. Originally conceived to clarify the formal experiments of avant-garde literature, the idea of spatial form, when placed in this wider context, also contributes importantly to the foundations of a general poetics of the literary text. Also included are related discussions of André Malraux, Heinrich Wölfflin, Herbert Read, and E. H. Gombrich.
New material has been added to the essays in the form of footnotes and postscripts to two of them. These either illustrate the continuing relevance of the questions raised, or offer Frank’s more recent opinions on the topic.
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