'THE TROPES OF TOPOGRAPHY'. REGIONALISM AND SENSE OF PLACE IN THE LITERATURE OF THE ZIELONA GORA REGION (LAND LEBUS) / 'Tropy topografii'. Zwiazki miedzy regionalizmem i miejscem w tworczosci lubuskiej

This article tries reassess the regional literature of the region of Zielona Gora (the historic Lebus Land) from a critical perspective which takes into account the 'topographic shift' and the changing status of the periphery in literary studies. In the 'Europe of regions' it is the local that claims to be the central reference point. The shift in critical interests opens new questions about both the rank and status of regional literature and the manner in which it represents the sense of place which is crucial to its identity. The case in point is the literary production of the Zielona Gora region. Its identity, which functions as a predominantly normative concept, is determined by its geographical locus and links with the idea of the region. It can be studied in the framework of 'tropes of topography' – a geopoetics which informs the work of regional writers and whose four markers are outlined in the article. The author of the article hopes that this critical framework and the preceding discussion will become a starting point for analyses, thematic surveys and comparative studies which combine the resources of literary criticism and the input of regional studies.