Chapter 5. Mapping a city – Berlin in a contemporary detective novel
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Corina Löwe
Abstract
In the novel Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kästner, published in 1929, the contemporary city of Berlin is set as an urban topos in which children navigate in an independent and self-confident way. Also more recent detective novels choose Berlin as the scene and make use of its cultural and geographical diversity. This chapter focuses on Andreas Steinhöfel’s Rico, Oskar und die Tieferschatten (2008) and examines which urban spaces in Berlin are presented, how the protagonist orients himself in the city, and what function the mapping has. The analysis focuses on how the psychological learning process of orientation in a city can be supported by children’s literature.
Abstract
In the novel Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kästner, published in 1929, the contemporary city of Berlin is set as an urban topos in which children navigate in an independent and self-confident way. Also more recent detective novels choose Berlin as the scene and make use of its cultural and geographical diversity. This chapter focuses on Andreas Steinhöfel’s Rico, Oskar und die Tieferschatten (2008) and examines which urban spaces in Berlin are presented, how the protagonist orients himself in the city, and what function the mapping has. The analysis focuses on how the psychological learning process of orientation in a city can be supported by children’s literature.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Table of figures vii
- Introduction. Maps and mapping in children’s literature 1
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Part 1. About mapping
- Chapter 1. A cognitive-developmental perspective on maps in children’s literature 17
- Chapter 2. Mapping the new citizen – Pedagogy of cartophobia 41
- Chapter 3. A subtle cartography 59
- Chapter 4. Metaphorical maps in picturebooks 75
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Part 2. Literary shaping of real cityscapes
- Chapter 5. Mapping a city – Berlin in a contemporary detective novel 95
- Chapter 6. “New York just like I pictured it – skyscrapers and everything”* 113
- Chapter 7. Itineraries and maps 129
- Chapter 8. Bruno Munari’s visual mapping of the city of Milan 147
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Part 3. Fictional seascapes and landscapes
- Chapter 9. “An island made of water quite surrounded by earth” 167
- Chapter 10. Connecting worlds 185
- Chapter 11. Mapping illusions 203
- Chapter 12. Mapping Middle Earth 221
- Chapter 13. Landscapes of growth, faith, and doubt 239
- About the editors and contributors 257
- Name index 263
- Subject index 265
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Table of figures vii
- Introduction. Maps and mapping in children’s literature 1
-
Part 1. About mapping
- Chapter 1. A cognitive-developmental perspective on maps in children’s literature 17
- Chapter 2. Mapping the new citizen – Pedagogy of cartophobia 41
- Chapter 3. A subtle cartography 59
- Chapter 4. Metaphorical maps in picturebooks 75
-
Part 2. Literary shaping of real cityscapes
- Chapter 5. Mapping a city – Berlin in a contemporary detective novel 95
- Chapter 6. “New York just like I pictured it – skyscrapers and everything”* 113
- Chapter 7. Itineraries and maps 129
- Chapter 8. Bruno Munari’s visual mapping of the city of Milan 147
-
Part 3. Fictional seascapes and landscapes
- Chapter 9. “An island made of water quite surrounded by earth” 167
- Chapter 10. Connecting worlds 185
- Chapter 11. Mapping illusions 203
- Chapter 12. Mapping Middle Earth 221
- Chapter 13. Landscapes of growth, faith, and doubt 239
- About the editors and contributors 257
- Name index 263
- Subject index 265
