The Cardinal Points of Robert Macfarlane’s Palimpsestuous Walking
What is the common point between Robert Macfarlane, the specialist of George Eliot, and Robert Macfarlane, the celebrated author of nature walking experiences. The answer lies probably in the communal dimension of walking. The top down approach, whereby cardinal points are regulatory benchmarks, bot...
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| Gepubliceerd in: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/ebc, |
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| Formaat: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Taal: | Anglais |
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Études britanniques contemporaines
2024
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| Online toegang: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Samenvatting: | What is the common point between Robert Macfarlane, the specialist of George Eliot, and Robert Macfarlane, the celebrated author of nature walking experiences. The answer lies probably in the communal dimension of walking. The top down approach, whereby cardinal points are regulatory benchmarks, both spatial and ideological, is reversed by an immersive approach. What counts is the immediacy of the relation with space; a sensory, experiental apprehension of place, epitomised by ‘footfall as knowledge.’ In a world controlled by geolocation, Macfarlane toys with the idea of ‘walking off the map’. If the appeal of the North was foundational for the contemporary nature writer, the North soon came to stand for a mindset rather than for a specific geographic area. Macfarlane’s relation to the cardinal points is complex; he lends them a near mysticial value in The Old Ways. A Journey on Foot before engaging in metageographical reflection in Landmarks. Finally, by plunging underground, Macfarlane powerlessly witnesses the ecological disaster of the anthropocene from the Deep North. |
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