Ary Jiamme III University of Florida Geographers Are Witnessing A
LITERARY RESOURCES FOR mSTORICAL GEOGRAPHY: A FLORIDA EXAMPLE
Ary J. I.amme III University of Florida
Geographers are witnessing a movement in research which emphasizes the humane element of our concerns. Humanistic geography, according to Tuan, "achieves an understanding of the human world by studying people's relations with nature, their geographical behavior as well as their feelings and ideas in regard to space and place."l Gould notes that, "At the present time the pendulum is swinging towards a behavioral geography characterized very strongly by a concern for the micro-spatial behavior of ths individuaL, his cognitive mechanism and psyche.,,2 A humanistic geography, distinct from one based on logical positivism, seeks to develop "a sense of place," something more in the location concept than merely the scientifically ~easurable. The artistic may be less objective, less quantifiable; but such qualities do not make it any less important. Wright recognized a geography cOlilposed of scientifically verifiable data, surrounded by a vast periphery of information that had to be dealt with subjectively.' The geographer, he felt, could profitably use imagination and intuition in efforts to gain an understanding of place and circumstance. Thus, we respond to the "siren's song," and share with others the humanity which is within our selves. In this context, what Berry has to say about "metageogrnphy" is apposi teo What, then is proposed is a view of the world from the vantage of process metagcography. By metageography is Illeant that part of geographic specu lation dealing with the principles lying behind perceptions of reality, and transcer.ding them, including such concepts as essence, cause, and identity .• ~o one would suppose that the humanistic movement is universal among geographers. Yet for those who might move in such a direction, a consideration of some of the elements of a humanistic component to the discipline is in order. This paper considers the i~plications of this trend for historical geographers, with an illustration from Florida literature.
Humanistic Historical Geograp~ One of the basic problems facing a humanistic historical geography is the purposeful crossing of that frontier zone which divides scientific fro~ artist:ie investigations. ~'hile lIIUch can be learned fro,", scientific studies, artistic examinations of man delve into certain aspects of the human experience with unmatched discernment. Where are historical geographers to look for the humane component? Logically our attention might be directed toward the fertile fieldS traditionally covered by the humanities. "Essence, cause and identity" as well as a host of other concerns dealing with the condition of mankind have been the foci of great art. All for~~ of art could be useful. but geographers are likely to find literary works a good place to start. Of course, geographers have not igm>red the work of writers. yet the use of these resources has hardly been systematized. British geographers began to make use of literary resources in the 1930s. Authors of varying stature were investigated to ascertain how much supplemen tary knowledge their works could add to what was known about particular periods. Studies appeared investigating the quality of Defoe's geographical references. s and reconstructi,,1/. the geography of sixteenth century England through the writings of John Leland and William Camden.· Especially notable was Darby's analysis of the Dorset landscape through the novels of Tholll3s Hardy.' In inter vening years rather infrequent articles have appeared in what we might term this literary reconstruction tradition, which directs literary resource use in geo graphy toward inductive, regional results. u 7'M R.UllXI11Ce of Ut:eratW'-. It historical geographers are to .ake more e~tensive use of artistic re sources, they will want to be assured that such ~aterials are relevant to geo graphic questions. It i$ correctly assu-cd that literature is related to the society that produces it,a but there hMve been a range of views on the nature of the relationship between literature and society.' At one end is the view that literature is si-ply reflective. while at the other that it is the cause rather than effect. Between is the notion that literature airrors society but aay also have soae inlluenee on its workings. Most literary scholars see. to accept this .cderate interpretation. Sociologists of literature, aore than other social scientists, have ex..ined the relationship between literature and society. OIIe of th_. Leo Lowenthal. tells uS what we can expect to find in literature. The specific treat.ent which a creative writer eives to nature or to love. to ,estures and ~. to gregariousness or solitude, is a pri.ary source for the study of the penetration of the aost inti..te spheres of personal life by ,ocial force, .. .. In fact. the most generalized concepts about h..an nature found in literature fTOve on close inspection to be related to social and political chapge.• Reaarding sources on seventeenth century French society, Lowenth"l says, "cer tainly other sources describe the occupations and preoccupations of the bour geois at the time of ~oliere; but only Moliere reveals what it was like to live this experience." II
Patt:el"'ning and Content A'wl.lfeia A quality of literature which has received ettention frOll literary schOlars in recent years and which lilly be useful for acoiraphers 15 patterning. This has to do with the regular use or absence of certain words or images. The systeRatlc portrayal or exclusion of certain social groups fro. the literature of a period or artistic tradition aay be significant. Social scientists .ay be able to detect relationships between patterns in literature and patterns of living. A noted literary scholar. Rayaond williUlS has observed: In the last decades of the eighteenth centuT)·, and In the first half of the nineteepth century, a nueber of words. which are now of capital iapor tance, c"e for the first tiae into cOlaOn English use. or where they had already been generally used in the language, acquired new and iaportant _aning. There is in tact a general pattern of change in these words. and this can be used as a special kind of aep by which it is possible to look again at those wider changes in life and thou~t to which the changes in language refer. 12 Atte.pts have been aade to analyze language patternin, throu¥h quantita tive techniques. usine a ..thod known as content analysis. Geographers have used content analysis with docuaentary resources froa past periods such as journals and newspapers; I' however. artistic literature has not cOle In for .uch scrutiny. Whether analyzed quantitatively or subjectively. patterning in literature is an area of potential interest to social scientists. Literature at its best can suggest much to the historical geographer beyond lere setting. By Its flows, the wealth of e~ple frOl one tiae and the dearth frOlll another; its patterning of language. i ..ge and subject; its unparalleled penetration of the hu.an condition; literature suggests to us so~ethin& of the social conditions of the age in which it was produced.
Utility of Utel'atu:re One of the most appealing aspects of literary utilization in geography ia its historic value, where it may be the only source for certain types of data. For instance. perceptual research often includes interviews and surveys. These .ethods cannot be U5ed in lOst historical studies. However, literature fro. the past often e~amines the individual in detail, and can be used with care in the e~aaination of perceptual questions.
" Of several ~u~arie$ of historical geographic research which have ap_ peared in the past few years, Prince'sl- classification of the field seems best at providing a suitable niche for literary resource utilitation. In his view, research in historical geography falls into either real, iMagined, or abstract conceptualitations of the past. The first and last of these refer to the re~ construction of past geographies and attempts to model the past. nle iaagined approach seeks an understanding of past perceptions, motives, attitudes, and behavior. Literature should be particularly useful in this category.
~jOri6 Kin~ Rawling8' The Yearling TWo recent examples of research aim at developing literary resources for geography. Salter and Lloyd investigate the portrayal of landscape in liter ature throu~h the wOrks of a nu.ber of authors. '5 ~ single author, WilliaM FaUlkner, is the focus of ~iken's study which atte~pt! to ~atch literary usage with geographical reality in Lafayette County, mssissippi.'6 For those with Florida interests, the name of Harjorie Kinnan Rawlings i~ediately cOmes to mind. What follo~s is a report on preli~inary research into her writing as a resource for the historical geographer. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' literary production was extremely varied. She wrote newspaper articles, short stories, poems, novels, and even a cookbook. She is best known for her classic, The Year~ing, for which she received the Pulitter Prite in 1939.'1 Gordon Bigelow wrote the major criticism of Rawlings' work.'· Fe focuses on her life at Cross Creek, in North Central Florida, her relations with the local population, and the evidence of this interaction in her writing. lie contends that "place" was II vital ct'ncept to her. A geo· grapher's investigation "f a "sense of place" in her workS is, therefore, in line with literary criticis~. In previous work I have presented four overlapping conce~ts appropriate for the historical geographer who would use literary resources. ' These four are landscape, hu~an ecology, strategy, and regionalis~. The Yearling can contribute to OUr understanding of Florida in ellch of these areas.
Landscape Many novels give us detailed accounts of physical and cultural landscapes. ~ Yearling is set in the pine scrub forest of ~orth Central Florida. Popu4 lation density is low. The reader acquires II strong impression of the enormity of the fOrest and the isolation of individual faMilies. The novel contains long and accurate descriptions of pine islands (high places, such as where the Bax ters, the main fa~ily in the story, live); the St. Johns River: a ~~all settle ment on that river; wildlife: sinkholes; and many other naturalist observations. Clearly Marjorie Kinnan RaWlings knew the land.
HI#IrOI Ccology Numerous thelles may be investigated within the concept of hUMan ecology. The traditional geographic concept of ~n-Iand can be expanded to inClude the cultural environment. Social geographic themes of interaction between groups in society are often found in novels. Perceptual questions would be included in this concept. The Baxters live a solitary life. Jody Baxter and his father try to Make a living through fa~ing and hunting. This struggle is not an easy one, and Bigelow points out that Rawlings herself had anything but an easy time making a liVing off her land at Cross Creek. The Baxters' life is nOt one of total isolation, however. They travel to a small settlement on the St. Johns and interact with a wider range of people. The experience expands their world view and demonstrates the existence of an alternate mode of living. The Baxters' neighbors are the Forresters. The interaction between these families highlights a perceived social hierarchy in the scrub. While the Baxters to themselves se~ to personify characteristics of hard work within a strong moral code, the Forresters have slipped so~ewhat from the ideal. The Forresters are conscious of this perception and sensitive to it. There are ties
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of shared ex.pcTicnco between the Bn:ters and Forrestel"s. Hwever, indivj,lual I,c..be:rs of both flImilies cOlllplicate the relationship. Thus, Rewlil'gs presented uS with a cowplex social geographic system, a system which is the operational environment of the inhabitants of the scrub. The central relationship in the novel is between Jody Baxter and his fawn. There are parallel ",aturation processes as the fawn beca.'es II. yearling and .5 Joions on the individual sl>idt . 1l'e peace of the vast aloof scrub had drawn hilll with the beneficence of its silence "'aking a living callie harder there, distllnCt'S were troublesomc in the buying of sUllplies and the lIarl.:eting of crops. But the clearing was peculiarly his own. lO The Baxters' t,lan is a combination of elllOtional prefeTl'mce and realistic Reyicmal.iem Most novels attelllpt to e5tablis~ a setting. In rany rases this will be lllere bad..Kroun ••• 1. Yi-Fu Tuan. "Hu&anistic Geography." Annals. Asaociation of AmeI'icran Gilo graph~u'B 66 (1976):266. 2. P. R. Gould. ''The Open Geographic CulTicuh1Dl" in Di1'Bctions in Geofll'ClPh!J, ed. Richard J. Chorley (London: Methuen and Co .• Ltd., 1973). p. 262. italics mine. T. ~agerstrand also calls fOr a renewed concern with the individual Illan: '''The Ool\3in of HUlI\8.n Geography." Dil'ectiona in Geography, p. 75. 3. J. K. Wright, HI#fI(D1 Natwoe in Geography (CaJIlbridge: Harvard University Press, 1966). pp. 68-88. 4. 8. J. L. Berry. "A ParadigDI for Morlern Geography," Directions in GCOfJT'apl,y, p. 9. 5. J. N. L. 8aker. ''The Geography of Daniel nefoe." Scottitll. Geographilla'L Maga ~ine 47 (1931):257-69. 6. E. G. R. Taylor. "Leland's England," and "Camden's England," in An Hiatorical Geography of t:1lgl.and Befo"f'e A.D. 1800. ed. H. C. Darby (Caillbridge: Call1brid,,,, University Press. 1936). pp. 330-286. 7. H. C. Darby. ''The Geography of Thomas Hardy's Wessex." Geographical PevieIJ 38 (1948) :426-43. 8. J. Thorpe, ed., Relations of Utemry StudlJ: Essaya on InterdieciplinarlJ Contributions (New York: Motiern Language Association of AIrIerica, 1967). 9. M. Albrecht. ''TIle Relationship of Literature and Society." The Americat, JOIO'l'la'L of Sociology 59 (1954) :425-36. 10. L. Lowenthal. Li:t4mt:u.N and the Image of Man: Sociological Studies of tile EU~ean Drama and Novel. 1600-1800 (Boston: The Beacon Pres~. 1957), Intro duction. 11. Ibid. 12. 11:. Williams. Q 13. A. J. W. Catchpole, D. W. Moodie. and B. Kay. "Content Analysis: A Method for the Identification of Dates of First Free~ing and Final Breaking from Des cript.ive ACCOunts." Profes8ionaL Geographsr 22 (1970):252-57. 14. H. Prince. "Real, JIIIOlgined and Abstract Worlds of the Past," in Progre1!J~ in Geography: In:t4r>naticna'L Revier,} of Cta-rent Reaearch, Vol. 3, ed. C. Board, R. Chorley. P. Haggert. and D. Stoddart (New York: St. Martin's Press. 1971), p. 24. " IS. C. Salter and W. Lloyd, LandScape in Lite~turB, Resource Paper for Colleae Geoaraphy no. 76-3 (Washinaton: Association of American Geographers, 1977). 16. C. Aiken, "Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County: Geographical Fact into Fiction," Geographical Revieu 67 (1977):1-21. 17. M. Rawlings, The Yearling (New York: Scribner, 1938). 18. G. Bigelow. Frontier &ien (Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 1966). 19. A. l.amme, "The Use of Novels in Geography Classrooms." J()U:r'I1Ql of Geographll 76 (1977):66-68. 20. Rawlings. The Yearling, p. 18. "