The Network of Memorials of Slovene Literary Culture as Semiotic Appropriation of (National) Space

Abstract

This article treats the network of memorials or memorial landmarks of Slovene literary culture, which began forming in the middle of the nineteenth century and yet today powerfully marks the Slovene territories' cultural landscape. The first part of the article reviews historical models for the formation of such networks, which can be understood as the semiotic appropriation of (national) space connected with the canonization of a handful of prominent "cultural saints" and numerous men of letters of lesser stature. Then the partial results of a GIS project to map Slovene literary memorials are appraised, along with its methodological challenges and possible contributions to a better understanding of the spaces of Slovene literary culture.