En kartografisk clairobscur : Fantasifulla och realistiska utflykter i litterär geografi genom C. J. L. Almqvists roman Drottningens juvelsmycke

Sammanfattning

Drottningens juvelsmycke, or The Queen’s Tiara, by Swedish 19th century writer Carl Jonas Love Almqvist, is littered with cartographic descriptions of spaces, which are destabilized by an equally fictitious and fantastical portrayal of the same environments. The characters move through and within both city, countryside and peri-urban spaces. The aim of this thesis is to map and explore how different spaces and movements are represented in the novel. This is done with the aid of a cartographic method developed in discussion with previous works in literary geography by Franco Moretti and Lisbeth Larsson. Through a method based in literary geography the movement away from the city centre is made visible on the map and, with that, the theme of escape throughout the novel. The thesis shows that the characters’ movements and feelings are formulated in discussion with the surrounding environments. The city is represented by control and surveillance, while the countryside forest glade acts as a haven for those seeking freedom and liberty. The map in Drottningens juvelsmycke lays bare one version of reality while at the same time concealing another. As the characters move through the city gates into peri-urban spaces, these two types of spaces and realities are negotiated.