This volume of concentrates on the relationship between representations
of space and the formation of personal and group identities. Resulting
from the 2009 conference of the German Association for the Study of
British Cultures at Paderborn University, the papers share a special
focus on the ways in which literary texts construct and/or undermine
coherent spaces and thereby shape their protagonists' search for a
functioning sense of self. In addition, the portrayal and reading of
spaces in other (particularly visual) media will also play an important
role. Readers are thereby offered a comprehensive and comparative
overview of spatially grounded identity representations in the British
Isles, with a temporal focus on the period from the 19th to the 21st
century. Thus, the volume constitutes a valuable contribution to a
vibrant discussion which - after the 'spatial turn' - is taking place in
many fields of literary and cultural studies.