Interconnected Pathways and Prospects: Exploring the Synergies between Literary Geography, Tourism, and Education

The inclusion of maps in literary works has been a long-standing phenomenon throughout the history of books. This practice is commonly observed on book covers, where maps emphasize the significance of spatial elements within the work. Moreover, maps are frequently found within the pages of books, serving to illustrate the directions provided by the writer and assisting the reader in navigating the narrative. These maps can take the form of either real or imaginary depictions, with a higher prevalence in travel literature and works set in fictional realms. However, beyond these explicit maps, readers also engage in the creation of mental maps as they follow the journeys of characters or mark physical locations associated with the lives of authors. The amalgamation of these various cartographic representations derived from literary geography forms the basis for literary tourism, enabling the development of products and experiences that not only serve as valuable resources for tourists but also possess significant educational flexibility. Within this chapter, we critically examine the nature of literary geography and the construction of literary cartography and explore its diverse range of applications, supplemented by current studies and relevant case examples.