Perhaps it was the translation - or its necessary roughness as an early attempt at what is surely a difficult subject - but I found Bachelard's Poetics to be indistinct, rather convoluted, and largely unable to fulfill the substantial promise of its introductory chapter, which was lucid, bold, and imaginative. Beyond the stylistic difficulties, I felt the majority of the passages cited as examples were drawn from a very narrow pool of what seemed rather obscure French pastoral poets... Consequently (to be fair, I have no depth here) it was difficult to grasp the context of the references, or their real value/validity. Does it read better in the original? Joe Lamantia ----- Original Message ----- From: Sarah L. Higley <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Sunday, August 13, 2000 7:36 PM Subject: Re: Visual and Acoustic Space > On Sun, 13 Aug 2000, Ken Mogg wrote: > > > Robert Inglis wrote: > > > > > I'm currently working on a paper that has to do with visual and acoustic > > > space, and I was wondering if anyone knows of any books or articles that go > > > into depth about these subjects? I am aware of McLuhan's work and an essay > > > by F.M. Cornford entitled "The Invention of Space", but otherwise the > > > paucity of information I've been able to find has been disappointing, so > > > far. > > > > Robert, have you looked at the works of Gaston Bachelard? > > > > This is Gaston Bachelard's _The Poetics of Space_. Another important > work to look to is Susan Stewart's _On Longing_: Narratives of the > Miniature, the Gigantic, the Souvenir, the Collection_. Does your study > include the urban at all? There is a ton of material out there on > urban space. You could start with Kevin Lynch's _The Image of the > City_, a classic. Visual space? What about Michel de Certeau, "Walking > in the City," in _The Practice of Everyday Life_? Wonderful book, > wonderful chapter. Or Fredric Jameson on postmodern urban architecture > in "Postmodernism, or the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism"? > > I'm preparing a manuscript for Camera Obscura on the uses of miniature > photography and futuristic or fabulist cities. It will come out I > don't know when, but it's called _A Taste for Shrinking: Movie Miniatures > and the Unreal City." I've run across quite a lot of material on the > urban in my research for this. Acoustic space? That I'm not sure about: > cathedrals? caves? closets? You might try the Bachelard, especially his > chapter on the Dialectics of Outside and Inside. > > Space is a pretty big topic. How are you narrowing this down? > ********************************************************************* > Sarah L. Higley [log in to unmask] > Associate Professor of English office: (716) 275-9261 > The University of Rochester fax: (716) 442-5769 > Rochester NY, 14627 > ********************************************************************* > Py dydwc glein / O erddygnawt vein? > "What brings a gem from a hard stone?" Book of Taliesin > ********************************************************************* > > ---- > Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the > University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu ---- Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu