Exploring the literary map: An analytical review of online literary mapping projects

With the improvement in digital mapping technologies and their accessibility, a great potential for the mapping of new things is emerging, as is the case with literary mapping. Drawing from a manifold theoretical framework, this article aims to involve readers from different fields of study in the complexity of literary cartogra- phy in the digital era. Starting from recent studies regarding the relationships between literature and cartography and from the ontogenetic turn in map studies, the article examines digital literary mapping projects where cartographic representations are produced by readers as analytical tools and/or as reading practices for literary texts. In order to uncover the trends of literary mappings, the paper focuses on three different processes/elements of the practice: projects’ processes of data collection, the tools used to map out texts, and the developers of the projects. Beyond involving the reader with the state of this practice, the paper aims at providing hints for future literary mapping practices.