The road to Egdon Heath : the aesthetics of the great in nature

Bevis examines a wide range of English, European, and North American texts, literary works as well as religious, scientific, and travel writing. He surveys the literature on mountain climbing, sea voyages, desert travel, and polar exploration, and its metaphorical uses in poetry and fiction. Relying on Addison's term "the Great" rather than "the sublime," he shows how works such as Darwin's journals, Lyell's studies in geology, and de Saussure's books on the Alps helped form an outlook on nature that also found frequent literary expression. A wide-ranging, interdisciplinary work in the history of ideas, The Road to Egdon Heath traces the growth of an aesthetic sensibility that is now ubiquitous but which would have been incomprehensible prior to the Renaissance. This sensibility underlies not only much of modern literature but also our modern ideas about conservation, ecology, and environmentalism. Frozen Wastelands And Scorched Deserts, Once Considered Cursed And Avoided At All Cost, Are Now Sought Out Or Seen As The Epitome Of A Highly Spiritual Kind Of Beauty. In The Road To Egdon Heath, The First Of A Two-part Study, Richard Bevis Shows That This Modern Sensibility Has Its Roots In Late Renaissance Science And Natural Philosophy. Concentrating On The Eighteenth And Nineteenth Centuries, He Traces Its Development Up To 1878 And One Of Its Earliest Conscious Articulations, Thomas Hardy's Description Of Egdon Heath In The Return Of The Native.--book Jacket. Bevis Examines A Wide Range Of English, European, And North American Texts, Literary Works As Well As Religious, Scientific, And Travel Writing. He Surveys The Literature On Mountain Climbing, Sea Voyages, Desert Travel, And Polar Exploration, And Its Metaphorical Uses In Poetry And Fiction. Relying On Addison's Term The Great Rather Than The Sublime, He Shows How Works Such As Darwin's Journals, Lyell's Studies In Geology, And De Saussure's Books On The Alps Helped Form An Outlook On Nature That Also Found Frequent Literary Expression.--book Jacket. A Wide-ranging, Interdisciplinary Work In The History Of Ideas, The Road To Egdon Heath Traces The Growth Of An Aesthetic Sensibility That Is Now Widespread But That Was Only Embryonic In The Renaissance. This Sensibility Underlies Not Only Much Of Modern Literature But Also Our Modern Ideas About Conservation, Ecology, And Environmentalism.--book Jacket. Introduction: Tempe And Thule -- I. Underpinnings. 1. The Great As Aesthetic Category. 2. Knowing The Planet: Early Travel And Exploration. 3. Coming To Terms: Philosophy, Religion, And Science -- Ii. Recognizing Greatness: The Eighteenth Century. 4. The Great And Sublime: British Aesthetics. 5. Wild Writing: The Great In Georgian Literature. 6. Breaking Loose: European Developments To Goethe. 7. Enlarged Views: English Travel And Exploration -- Iii. From Sublimity To Barrenness: The Romantic Period. 8. Mind And Earth: Philosophy And Science. 9. Poetic Feet: England's Peripatetic Bards. 10. Landscapes In Prose: Fiction And Travel -- Iv. Science And Sensibility: The Nineteenth Century. 11. Go And See: Lyell, Geology, And Belief. 12. What Is Nature? Some Influential Views, 1830-70. 13. Leaving Blanks: American Novelists And The Great. 14. The Naked Truth: Desert Travel, 1830-70. 15. Mighty Fortresses: The Meanings Of Mountains, 1830-70. 16. The Arctic Saga: Polar Exploration, 1830-67. 17. Desert Souls: The Great And Barren In European Literature, 1830-66. 18. On The Beach: Victorian Writers By The Sea Of Doubt. 19. On The Heath: The 1870s -- Epilogue: The Heath Revisited. Richard Bevis. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [375]-396) And Index. "Frozen wastelands and scorched deserts, once considered cursed and avoided at all cost, are now sought out or seen as the epitome of a highly spiritual kind of beauty. In The Road to Egdon Heath, the first of a two-part study, Richard Bevis shows that this modern sensibility has its roots in late Renaissance science and natural philosophy. Concentrating on the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, he traces its development up to 1878 and one of its earliest conscious articulations, Thomas Hardy's description of Egdon Heath in The Return of the Native." "Bevis examines a wide range of English, European, and North American texts, literary works as well as religious, scientific, and travel writing. He surveys the literature on mountain climbing, sea voyages, desert travel, and polar exploration, and its metaphorical uses in poetry and fiction. Relying on Addison's term "the Great" rather than "the sublime," he shows how works such as Darwin's journals, Lyell's studies in geology, and de Saussure's books on the Alps helped form an outlook on nature that also found frequent literary expression." "A wide-ranging, interdisciplinary work in the history of ideas, The Road to Egdon Heath traces the growth of an aesthetic sensibility that is now widespread but that was only embryonic in the Renaissance. This sensibility underlies not only much of modern literature but also our modern ideas about conservation, ecology, and environmentalism."--Résumé de l'éditeur "Frozen wastelands and scorched deserts, once considered cursed and avoided at all cost, are now sought out or seen as the epitome of a highly spiritual kind of beauty. In The Road to Egdon Heath, the first of a two-part study, Richard Bevis shows that this modern sensibility has its roots in late Renaissance science and natural philosophy. Concentrating on the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, he traces its development up to 1878 and one of its earliest conscious articulations, Thomas Hardy's description of Egdon Heath in The Return of the Native." "Bevis examines a wide range of English, European, and North American texts, literary works as well as religious, scientific, and travel writing. He surveys the literature on mountain climbing, sea voyages, desert travel, and polar exploration, and its metaphorical uses in poetry and fiction. Relying on Addison's term "the Great" rather than "the sublime," he shows how works such as Darwin's journals, Lyell's studies in geology, and de Saussure's books on the Alps helped form an outlook on nature that also found frequent literary expression." "A wide-ranging, interdisciplinary work in the history of ideas, The Road to Egdon Heath traces the growth of an aesthetic sensibility that is now widespread but that was only embryonic in the Renaissance. This sensibility underlies not only much of modern literature but also our modern ideas about conservation, ecology, and environmentalism." --Book Jacket