Space and Text Worlds in Apollonius

Abstract The paper looks not so much at geographical space or at the standard antithesis of “space” and “place,” but at the fluctuating relationships of space and mind. Various contrasts of inside and outside are considered (bodies, ships, houses), in connection with characters’ experience of space and its meaning. Werth’s idea of text worlds is then considered: the shifting worlds presented in a text, often as perceived or constructed by characters. This approach is given more substance by thinking about space; spatial approaches are given more finesse by thinking about text worlds. The marriage of approaches works happily for similes, for characters’ imaginings, for the physical spaces they structure and manage. It suits the ever-shifting Argonautica well.