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A review by dorhastings
Maps of the Imagination: The Writer as Cartographer by Peter Turchi
3.0
I'll start by saying I am not in the target audience for this book, and target audience is key for a book like this. This is not to say that I didn't enjoy the book, because I found myself highlighting quite a few passages in the book. And while I think the target audience for this book is fiction writers, there are certain elements of the book that I think other audience members can (and should) appreciate.
I received this book from my course coordinator (I teach an upper-division writing course [not an English class] at a California State University). I include specifications because the book doesn't at all link up with the work we do in the class. And if anything, this book would work best for a class that is focused on fiction writing. If I gave this book to my students (99% of whom are business students), my evaluations wouldn't be pretty. HOWEVER, I think this could be a great book for a graduate writing seminar in communication studies.
I'm actually quite glad I read it. I find the idea of critical cartography fascinating, and that's something that goes beyond a targeted audience. A good deal of this book deals with cartography with weavings of examples in literature (most of which, unfortunately, I'm unfamiliar with, so the implications are occasionally lost on me). There are chapters (particularly the final chapter) that are focused on writing and fictional world creation. These passages are easy to understand and apply; it's the passages about cartography that require a little more effort, but they're worthwhile.
I'm unsure to whom I would recommend this book, but it's absolutely worthwhile. The pictures are stunning. I sort of sped through the book, but I suspect I will get more out of the book by discussing a chapter a month with my colleagues.
I received this book from my course coordinator (I teach an upper-division writing course [not an English class] at a California State University). I include specifications because the book doesn't at all link up with the work we do in the class. And if anything, this book would work best for a class that is focused on fiction writing. If I gave this book to my students (99% of whom are business students), my evaluations wouldn't be pretty. HOWEVER, I think this could be a great book for a graduate writing seminar in communication studies.
I'm actually quite glad I read it. I find the idea of critical cartography fascinating, and that's something that goes beyond a targeted audience. A good deal of this book deals with cartography with weavings of examples in literature (most of which, unfortunately, I'm unfamiliar with, so the implications are occasionally lost on me). There are chapters (particularly the final chapter) that are focused on writing and fictional world creation. These passages are easy to understand and apply; it's the passages about cartography that require a little more effort, but they're worthwhile.
I'm unsure to whom I would recommend this book, but it's absolutely worthwhile. The pictures are stunning. I sort of sped through the book, but I suspect I will get more out of the book by discussing a chapter a month with my colleagues.