ABSTRACT
This chapter draws on current research, as well as authors teaching experience at the University of Tasmania to suggest one approach to sparking independent critical thinking about space and place in literary studies. It argues that the best way to provide students with a strong theoretical framework, and an associated critical lexicon, is not simply to gift them a glossary prepared in advance, but to invite them to test the value and relevance of selected terms through applied learning tasks. The chapter also argues that thrillers are perfect vehicles for encouraging students to think critically about the cornerstone concepts of space and place, and for examining the narrative significance of distinctive environments and landscapes in fiction. The authors' case study in the chapter has focused on two thrillers which feature islands, but the approach it models would work just as well for other thrillers, such as Nevada Barr's Blind Descent and Clive Cussler's Inca Gold, which both have subterranean settings.
