Eighteenth-century England saw the rise of a "peculiarly English" art form -- landscape gardening -- and a corresponding change in attitudes toward the natural world. While the French, who lived under tyranny, had tightly organized, restrictive gardens, the "free" English enjoyed gardens where they were at liberty to wander. John Dixon Hunt examines eighteenth-century letters, literary and critical works, biographies, paintings, prints, and drawings to trace the gradual movement from formal regularity toward a carefully calculated naturalness.

About the Author

John Dixon Hunt is director of the Center for Studies in Landscape Architecture at Dumbarton Oaks. His many books include The Pre-Raphaelite Imagintion: 1848-1900, The Wider Sea: A Life of John Ruskin, and William Kent: Landscape Garden Architect.

Reviews
By means of a thorough reading of selected literary works, John Dixon Hunt traces the rise of the art of gardening in eighteenth-century England from a new point of view, its effect on the human mind... The Figure in the Landscape should hold the attention of any reader interested in the arts and the cultural context of literature. Eighteenth Century Studies



Book Information
ISBN 9780801839368
Author John Dixon Hunt
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Johns Hopkins University Press
Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press
Weight(grams) 425g