Lawrence's Landscapes: Seven Pillars of Wisdom as Geography—Part I: Landscape Cognition, “Topopsychology,” Regional Geography, and Application to War

Abstract

This is Part One of a two-part paper on the geographical content of Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T. E. Lawrence's account of his army liaison work with Arab guerrillas during World War I. Overall, the paper seeks to advertise Lawrence's geographical sensibility and calls for the inclusion of his magnum opus in the canon of Middle Eastern geography. Part One deals with topics of a general nature concerning (1) landscape cognition as perceived by Lawrence; (2) the mental impact of landscape on Lawrence, here called “topopsychology” (3) the regional geography of the Middle East as perceived by Lawrence; and (4) Lawrence's application of geographical knowledge to strategic planning and the tactical execution of operations against Turk forces. The paper is prefaced by sections on the life of Lawrence, on the political and historical background to the Arab campaign, on the progress of the campaign, and on the terrain and climate of the region. Part Two will deal with Lawrence's geographical description and interpre...