The Spatial Strategies In Small World

Since its publication in 1984, Small World and its author David Lodge have both received favorable comments and attentions. The prolific elements attract readers to do analysis from various perspectives. However, there are few readers focusing their studies on the spatiality in the novel. This paper, from the angle of spatial form, discusses Lodge's"dissolving"idea by exploring the spatiality in Small World. First of all, setting about juxtaposition, chapter one discusses the employment of it as spatializing technique in Small World. Juxtaposition minifies the conception of time and puts events and scenes happened at the same time together, dissolving the traditional narrative structure.Small World also presents obvious spatial features from aspect of language. The parody of characters'name and the humorous and ridiculous tone make readers indulge in the understanding and introspection, causing the losing of contact with time, creating a sense of spatiality. Moreover, a great number of dialogues and speeches lead readers to immerse in them, ignoring time and highlighting spatiality. By those spatialities, the impression of academics as elite, as well as the distance between elite and common people, is finally dissolved.The last chapter investigates spatial form based on textuality of Small World. The adoption of plenty of direct quotations achieves spatiality between the original text and Small World. With dual role as writer and critic, Lodge has Small World wandered between reality and fiction, writing and literary criticism, at the same time, dissolves the hurdle between reality and fiction, writing and literary criticism.By the spatial analysis on Small World, this paper discusses the uniquely artistic writing techniques and artistic idea of Lodge himself by exploring the spatial form in the novel. While the analysis deepens reader's understanding of contemporary academic world, it also provides a new way for the reading of Lodge's novel. Small World is considered to be the central achievement of Lodge in his experiment with spatial techniques.Critics seldom have research on the spatial form of Small World. This paper, by the exploration of spatial form, sheds light on the novel's artistry and Lodge's aesthetic ideas.