Literary geology: a critical proposal for the reading of place. the case of Fabio Pusterla

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Date
2025
Authors
Turini, Jacopo
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Taylor and Francis Ltd.
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10.1080/00751634.2025.2452117
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Abstract
Geology allows us to visualise events that are so distant in time and alien in materiality, thereby challenging the concept of place as a fixed entity. This article introduces Literary Geology as a critical approach for reading a place and its temporalities in literature through an analysis of Fabio Pusterla’s poetry. Literary Geology draws on Material Ecocriticism, Geocriticism, Literary Geography and Doreen Massey’s theory of place as event. By examining geological matter and perspectives, Literary Geology explores representations of place within the temporalities of the Anthropocene. In doing so, this approach addresses the socio-political contexts that shape places, particularly in the midst of current geographical transformations. The article first presents the theoretical foundations of this approach and then analyses the ‘spaces of collapse’ that Pusterla creates to represent the border between Italy and Switzerland. Through this analysis, the article questions the role of borders in place-making and identity demarcation.
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Anthropocene poetics , Deep time , Fabio Pusterla , Geocriticism , Literary geology , Material ecocriticism
Citation
Turini, J. (2025) 'Literary geology: a critical proposal for the reading of place. the case of Fabio Pusterla', Italian Studies, 80(1), pp.32-46. DOI: 10.1080/00751634.2025.2452117
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https://hdl.handle.net/10468/17458
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Italian - Journal articles
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© 2025, the Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided theoriginal work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allowthe posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.