Franco Moretti, from Atlas of the European Novel 1800–1900
In his Atlas of the European Novel 1800–1900, Franco Moretti examines, with the aid of maps showing patterns in literature, the relationship between geography and “the narrative structure of the European novel.” In the following selection, he maps the geography of Austen’s novels and considers what the maps reveal about her work and its relationship to the development of the English nation-state during her time.