298
See also: Global warming 202–203 ■ A holistic view of Earth 210–211
■ Urban sprawl 282–283 ■ The Green Movement 308–309I
n many ways, Romanticism—
a new cultural movement that
emerged towards the end of
the 18th century—was a reaction
to the scientific rationalism of the
Enlightenment. As industrialization
took hold in urban areas, writers,
artists, and composers began
increasingly to glorify the natural
world. The now prosperous middle
classes were particularly inspired
by Romantic portrayals of nature,
and took up leisure pursuits such
as hiking and mountaineering.
The Romantic movement evenaffected scientific attitudes to
nature by inspiring interest in the
nascent field of ecology and the
environmental movement.The wild world
A key figure in the Romanticization
of nature was Henry David Thoreau,
an American writer from Concord,
Massachusetts. His book Walden
(1854) described his time living in
a cabin in the woods by Walden
Pond. Thoreau advocated
preserving nature not for its own
sake, but as a necessary resource
in sustaining human life and a
kind of spiritual enrichment. While
Thoreau’s “wilderness” was not far
removed from modern life, his
Romantic portrayal of the natural
world significantly influenced the
conservation movement in the
US and helped inspire the National
Parks system. ■IN WILDNESS IS
THE PRESERVATION
OF THE WORLD
ROMANTICISM, CONSERVATION, AND ECOLOGY
IN CONTEXT
KEY FIGURE
Henry David Thoreau
(1817– 62)BEFORE
1662 English diarist John
Evelyn’s work Sylva, advocating
forest conservation, is
presented to the Royal Society.1789 Gilbert White publishes
his Natural History of Selborne,
inspiring a reaction against
“imperial ecology.”AFTER
1872 A bill creating the first
US national park, Yellowstone,
is signed into law by President
Ulysses S. Grant.1892 In San Francisco,
Scottish–American
conservationist John Muir
founds The Sierra Club.1971 The UNESCO “Man
and the Biosphere” project
is launched.Thoreau’s simple hut at Walden
Pond appeared on the title page of
this 1875 edition of Walden. Thoreau
claimed he went to the wilderness
to be free of the obligations of city life.US_298-299_Romanticism_and_Devastation.indd 298 12/11/18 6:26 PM