The Novelist's Image of the North

Abstract

A review of the English novel since the second quarter of the nineteenth century reveals that the location of the North is more a geographical expression than a precise location. The elements constituting the North, however, have been consistently projected and are largely akin to those forming the 'popular' image-a harsh landscape and climate; an often smoke-obscured land of mines or manufacturing; a substandard environment for both residence and recreation; a land populated by earnest people, ruthless leaders and heroes who may 'escape' south. This traditional literary image is maintained today by modern authors and also through the wider projection of television. THE realm of literature is an important source for students of images of place, for in environ- mental description, no less than in character-drawing or drama, the literary artist is dis- tinguished by his quality of observation and insight. His vision is, moreover, unhampered by any disciplinary blinkers of scientific method in studying what is essentially an intangible phenomenon. I Distinctive qualities of place are therefore perceptively recorded, and so-called regional novelists or poets recognized accordingly. The widespread and persistent circulation of the 'message' of particular major works may mean that the literary input to the image of place is high, providing a literary frame of reference with which to approach or view a particular environment. Moreover, given the nature of the environment of the mind, the literary influence may well increase with time, and even persist when contrary evidence is available to refute the traditional image.3 Geographers may explore the field of literature in different ways, variously emphasizing the designative or appraisive aspect and focusing on a particular landscape or aspect of a