Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
maps by calling them mere cultural conventions. Sure, some of the specifics that we take
forgrantedmightbearbitrary—theangleofview,dottedlinesforroads,blueinkforwater,
and so on—but not the fact that we as a species rely heavily on pictorial representations of
thesurfaceofourworld.They'recriticaltothewaywethink.Ifmapsdidn'texist,itwould
be necessary to invent them.
That's also demonstrated in our compulsion to turn
everything
—not just spatial
data—into map form. For centuries illustrators have been drawing
allegorical maps
, which
schizophrenically join the beauty and detail of classic illustration with all the bag-of-ham-
mers subtlety of a 1980s after-school special. In the 1700s, it was popular to draw romance
asanauticalchart:watchoutfortheRocksofJealousyandtheShoalsofPerplexityonyour
way to the Land of Matrimony! Unlucky sailors would wind up marooned at Bachelor's
Fort on the unfortunately named Gulf of Self Love. The Prohibition era gave us railroad
maps of temperance, in which the Great Destruction Route might seem like fun as you're
chugging through Cigaretteville or Rum Jug Lake but then quickly diverts you through the
States of Bondage, Depravity, and Darkness. One of the most popular illustrations of the
1910swas“TheRoadtoSuccess,”depictingasnare-ladenroadthroughBadHabits,Vices,
andthecarouselofConceit,inwhichonlythetunnelofTrueKnowledgeleadssuccessfully
through Lack of Preparation mountain and inside the Gate of Ideals. A recent Matt Groen-
ingcartoon updates this map forthe twenty-first century.Nowthe roadtakes aspirants past
the meadow of Parental Discouragement and the River of Unsold Screenplays, inside the
House of Wrinkles, and up into the Tower of Fleeting Fame . . . which unfortunately leads
straighttoalongslidemarked“DisappointingSalesofSecondAlbum,Novel,PlayorFilm
