The Spectacle of Nature

"The Spectacle of Nature" explores the perception of the countryside in early 19th-century France. Nicholas Green argues that the experience of nature - from the consumption of prints and pictures to rural excursions and country retreats - was rooted in historically specific ways of seeing that took their cue from a distinctive metropolitan culture. At the heart of the argument lies a discussion of subjectivity and class: the way in which the process of looking at the countryside reinforced the identity of the metropolitan bourgeoisie - and especially men.