Blog #5

Gathering geo-spatial data is a useful method for analyzing memoirs because it provides context in terms of the geographical setting a memoir takes place in and the reader can visualize the recorded physical movement of people and their interactions with others in specific locations. Because network graphs are not always geographical, maps can provide a frame of reference for the reader to understand where and how people meet and interact. Geo-spatial data provides order because it contextualizes how relationships form and patterns in movement from place to place. As the National Geographic Society’s Chief Cartographer, Allen Carroll, said, maps “stimulate both sides of our brain: the right side that’s intuitive and aesthetic, and the left side that’s rational and analytical.”.  Similarly, David Bodenhamer, the author of The Potential of Spatial Humanities, says humans are “inherently spatial beings: we live in a physical world and routinely use spatial concepts of distance and direction to navigate our way through it” (14).

In Esther Latrobe’s memoir, the corresponding story map shows the four significant locations in her life: Bristol, England; Tytherton, England; Gracehill, Ireland; and Ayr, Scotland. Given that she lived in the 19th century before cars were invented and mass produced, it is appropriate and rational to assume her main mode of transportation was by foot, horse, or boat. However, she does not mention how she specifically moved from place to place nor the amount of time it took her which is could be considered a nuance since she did not record the duration of her transportation nor the possible events that happened during those times. Looking at the Story Map JS, it seems logical that Esther Latrobe did not move too far away from her hometown, Bristol, when she moved to Tytherton at a relatively early age, most likely by foot. However, as she grew older and more independent, she moved further away to Gracehill, Ireland for a job as a teacher at the Ladies Boarding School. The map shows there is an ocean between England and Ireland so the audience can make an educated guess that she traveled by boat which requires more independence than traveling by foot because it is a bigger time commitment and traveling by boat is relatively more dangerous than by foot. She had to travel again by boat from Gracehill, Ireland to Ayr, Scotland but with her newly wed husband to start a new chapter in her life. Her movements from place to place shows to some extent the progression of her life and her maturity as she accepts bigger and bolder changes such as studying away from home, accepting a job offer, and marrying her husband. Bodenhamer also comments on the idea of change, saying, “Spaces are not simply the setting for historical action but are a significant product and determinant of change” (16). The story map helps the audience visualize the stages of Esther Latrobe’s life in an organized manner, providing a “view of history and culture through the dynamic representation of memory and place… fusing qualitative and quantitative data within real and conceptual space” ( Bodenhamer 29).