MACMILLAN Mobility, Memory and the Lifecourse in Twentieth-Century Literature and Culture (Studies in Mobilities, Literature, and Culture)

This book explores the formative role of mobilities in the production of our close relationships, proposing that the tracks―both literal and figurative― we lay down in the process play a crucial role in generating and sustaining intimacy. Working with diaries, journals and literary texts from the mid- to late-twentieth century, the book pursues this thesis through three phases of the lifecourse: courtship (broadly defined), the middle years of long-term relationships and bereavement. Building upon the author’s recent research on automobility, the text’s case studies reveal the crucial role played by many different types of transport―including walking―in defining our most enduring relationships. Conceptually, the book draws upon the writings of the philosopher, Henri Bergson, the anthropologist, Tim Ingold and the geographer, David Seamon, engaging with topical debates in cultural and emotional geography (especially work on landscape, memory and mourning), mobilities studies and critical love studies.   Review “Lynne Pearce takes the reader on a captivating journey through the interplay of mobility and memory over the lifecourse. Using a bricolage of textual sources and theoretical approaches, Pearce reminds us of the impossibility of relationships without mobility and the subtle significance of everyday, unremarkable movements. Mobility, Memory and the Lifecourse in Twentieth-Century Literature and Culture is an interdisciplinary text that will fascinate scholars from diverse backgrounds including literature, historical, geographical and sociological studies.” (Clare Holdsworth, Professor of Social Geography, Keele University, UK) “Pearce’s new book is a strikingly original reflection on how mobility is written through―and maps out―the life course of intimate relationships. (Ruth Livesey, Professor of Nineteenth-Century Literature and Thought, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK) From the Back Cover This book explores the formative role of mobilities in the production of our close relationships, proposing that the tracks―both literal and figurative― we lay down in the process play a crucial role in generating and sustaining intimacy. Working with diaries, journals, and literary texts from the mid- to late-twentieth century, the book pursues this thesis through three phases of the lifecourse: courtship (broadly defined), the middle years of long-term relationships, and bereavement. Building upon the author’s recent research on automobility, the text’s case studies reveal the crucial role played by many different types of transport―including walking―in defining our most enduring relationships. Conceptually, the book draws upon the writings of the philosopher, Henri Bergson, the anthropologist, Tim Ingold, and the geographer, David Seamon, engaging with topical debates in cultural and emotional geography (especially work on landscape, memory, and mourning), mobilities studies, and critical love studies. About the Author Lynne Pearce is Professor of Literary and Cultural Theory at Lancaster University, UK. She is also Director for the Humanities at Lancaster’s Centre for Mobilities Research (CeMoRe).