The Use of Heterotopic Space in the Fiction of Haruki Murakami

This thesis conceptualises the use of heterotopic space within the fictional oeuvre of Haruki Murakami. I propose that the disposition of space is a crucial aspect of Murakami’s fiction and explore this through the lens of Michel Foucault’s concept of heterotopia. This study takes a thematic approach to Murakami’s fiction to reflect on the key concepts that continually feature in the author’s depiction of space. Although there have been wideranging applications of Foucault’s heterotopia, I propose the concept to be a tool of literary analysis. I acknowledge and address the ambiguity inherent in heterotopia and apply a framework of resistance and refuge to the spatial concept.