hi so I just learned this word, thigmotaxis, from a bit of urban studies discussion; it refers to the human tendency to desire and gravitate towards boundaries, edges, walls, etc. In contemporary urbanism, it explains why we seem more at ease in older pre-auto European city centers than in corporate office parks or courbusier-style housing blocs.
Obviously this can manifest in literature: descriptions of places that are layered, dense, maze-like, filled with hidden meaning and secrets and whatever. And of course, the opposite: uncanny back-rooms kinda spaces that seem alien, or at least inhuman.
Because it's Christmas, I am kinda craving examples of cozy, thick, 'thigmotaxic' places in literature (although of course I'd love to hear fun examples of the opposite as well!). Happy holidays!
by bcdaure11e