Abstracts
Abstract
Drawing on fieldwork in the Victorian Mallee region of Australia, this article explores the ways in which reading groups can elicit rich information about the relationship between literature, reading, and place. The study found that book group participants “recognized” the Mallee in the texts under discussion and engaged in their own forms of place knowledge and “history‑telling” in response, making corrections to, and even rejecting, literary representations of their area. We argue that the resources for enhancing literary infrastructure exist, both in the broad history and diversity of Mallee writing, and in the social infrastructure of the Mallee. Readers’ knowledge, captured through book‑related discussion in community spaces, offers the potential for enhancing existing literary resources in rural and remote regions.
Keywords:
- Australia,
- regional readers,
- place,
- literary history,
- literary infrastructure
Résumé
S’inspirant de recherches sur le terrain effectuées dans la région de Mallee de l’État de Victoria, en Australie, le présent article explore la manière dont les groupes de lecture foisonnent d’information quant aux liens qui unissent littérature, lecture et lieu. L’étude a en effet montré que les participants, « reconnaissant » la région de Mallee dans les oeuvres proposées, s’appuyaient sur leur propre conception de la géographie et de la narration de l’histoire pour corriger, voire rejeter, les représentations littéraires de leur environnement. Nous soutenons qu’il existe des ressources aptes à valoriser l’infrastructure littéraire, tant dans l’histoire et la diversité des écrits émanant de la région de Mallee que dans son infrastructure sociale. Révélées par des discussions tenues dans des espaces communautaires, les connaissances des lecteurs sont susceptibles de mener à la mise en valeur de ressources littéraires déjà présentes dans des régions rurales et éloignées.
Mots-clés :
- Australie,
- lecteurs régionaux,
- lieu,
- histoire littéraire,
- infrastructure littéraire
Appendices
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10.7202/1036855ar