| Unit name | Nature and Landscape in the French Garden 1715-1789 |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ARCHM0119 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Mowl |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Anthropology and Archaeology |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
The unit will examine the value, form and function of nature in French gardens during the period from the death of Louis XIV in 1715 to the Revolution in 1789. It will examine in particular the ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, perhaps the most vehement 'voice of nature' in eighteenth-century Europe, who advocated a return to nature, and conceived nature as a transcendent presence in the physical world, a force to be appreciated rather than mastered. The unit will look at some of the most famous examples of designed landscapes, notably: Ermenonville, M�r�ville, Monceau, and the jardin anglo-chinois of the Petit Trianon and the Hameau at Versailles. One of the key issues will be the problem of disentangling 'true' nature from 'pseudo' nature in constructed environments.
