Abstract: In the Heart of the Country is J. M. Coetzee’s typical novel. Different critics have explored the novel in the light of post-colonialism or feminism, and have given their penetrating judgment to the novel. Expecting to get a new understanding of the novel, this paper intends to analyze the different spaces in In the Heart of the Country with recourse to the theory of spatial criticism. This essay aims to highlight the importance of the space, including the lived space, imagined space and conceived space. Maybe Coetzee tries to help us to find a better way to improve the world through his novel, thus, we can live a better life in the space.

Key words: spatial criticism, lived space, imagined space, conceived space

摘要：《内陆深处》是库切的小说中具有象征性的一部。不少批评家从后殖民和女性主义角度解读该小说，提出不少真知灼见。本文则试图结合空间批评理论,通过探讨小说里的生活空间，想象空间和构想空间，在这一的新的视角下阅读理解《内陆中心》中的不同空间，突出空间的重要性，把一直作为背景的空间拉上前台。也许库切希望通过该小说指引我们寻找一条更好的改进世界的方法，让我们在空间里更好的生存。

关键词：空间批评论, 生活空间，想象空间，构想空间