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The Theoretical Evolution of Lotman's Spatial Semiotics of Literary Texts

Author(s)

Liaoyuan Wu

Affiliation(s)

School of Law and Politics, Lingnan Normal University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong, China

Abstract

Yuri Mikhailovich Lotman, the leading figure of the Tartu-Moscow School of Semiotics, whose development of the spatial semiotics of literary texts constitutes a significant achievement in 20th-century Russian semiotic research. Based on semiotic methodology, this theory systematically explores the meaning-generating mechanisms of spatial images, spatial structures, and spatial models in literary texts, revealing that space is not merely a physical existence but a symbolic system carrying cultural, social, psychological, and ideological connotations. This paper traces the complete evolutionary process of Lotman's spatial semiotics of literary texts from its germination and formation to systematization and eventual expansion into cultural semiotics, and analyzes its core connotations and methodological characteristics. The study demonstrates that Lotman's spatial semiotics not only provides a brand-new analytical tool for literary criticism but also lays an important theoretical foundation for interdisciplinary cultural research, and his concept of "spatial modeling" still holds significant academic value today.

Keywords

Lotman; Tartu-Moscow Semiotic School; Literary Text; Spatial Semiotics; Cultural Semiotics

References

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