Seeking Return to the Wilderness

Author: Cheng Hong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: In the second half of the 20th century, especially in the past two decades, a new literary genre—American Nature Literature—has emerged in the American literary scene. It takes the depiction of nature as its theme and explores the relationship between humans and nature, presenting a vibrant landscape of nature and the soul, retelling the story of land that has gradually faded from the modern mind. As a literary genre, although American Nature Literature has traditionally been influenced by European Romanticism, it naturally possesses characteristics that no other country could possibly have, given its birthplace—the United States, renowned for the "Eden" and the "New World." We can say that American Nature Literature is a literary genre with distinct American characteristics, originating in the 17th century, rooted in the 19th century, and taking shape in the contemporary era. The book is divided into seven parts. The preface, "Retelling the Story of the Land," provides a concise overview of the concept, origins, development, and current state of American Nature Literature. Chapter 1, "Rooted in the Myth of the New Continent," traces the origins of American Nature Literature. Through critiques of several early representatives and their works from the 17th and 18th centuries, it demonstrates that this period laid the foundation for the themes, styles, and forms of American Nature Literature. Chapter 2, "A Spiritual Sanctuary Shining Among Nature," follows the trail of Thomas Cole, the founder of the Hudson River School in the 19th century, and the transcendentalist writer R. W. Emerson, arguing that the 19th century gave rise to the founders of the ideas and essence of American Nature Literature. Chapter 3