| Unit name | Nature and Landscape in the French Garden 1715-1789 |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ARCHM0120 |
| Credit points | 10 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52) |
| Unit director | Dr. Calder |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
s None |
| Co-requisites |
s None |
| School/department | Department of Anthropology and Archaeology |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This 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, Miriville, 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.
Aims:
The unit will address the theory and practice of garden design in eighteenth-century France, focusing on individual gardens and designers, the media of literary and visual representations of gardens, and the philosophical ideas associated with gardens and nature. The unit is intended to complement units on the English landscape garden by introducing students to European versions of an English style, and will suggest equivalencies and contrasts between English and French gardens of the period.
Students should develop an understanding of the relationships between written and pictorial texts and designed landscapes. The study of shifting concepts of landscape design should foster an awareness of the historical and intellectual background through the taste, politics and social attitudes of the period. The unit will familiarize students with eighteenth-century ideas about nature, and the status of the individual in relation to nature, in the context of Enlightenment debates over the interplay of reason and sensibility.
Seminars
Assessed essay (3,500 words).
