Carrabine, E (2010) 'Imagining Prison: Culture, History, Space.' Prison Service Journal, 187. pp. 15-22. ISSN 0300-3558

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Abstract

In this article I explore the diverse ways in which stories of prison and punishment have been told in the literary and visual arts. Stories of crime and punishment are central to every society as they address the universal problem of human identity. Every culture generates founding myths to account for society?s origins, typically situated in some dreadful primordial event. The imaginary origins of Western civilization are to be found in tales of banishment, confinement, exile, torture and suffering. The theme of exclusion is symbolically rich and spaces of confinement ? both real and imagined ? have provided stark reminders of human cruelty and reveal just how thin the veneer of civilization can be. This article examines how prison space has been represented in the literary and visual arts so as to grasp the complex cultural landscapes of punishment.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences Faculty of Social Sciences > Sociology, Department of
SWORD Depositor:	Elements
Depositing User:	Elements
Date Deposited:	09 Jan 2012 09:17
Last Modified:	06 Jan 2022 13:31
URI:	http://repository.essex.ac.uk/id/eprint/1815

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