Experiencing the Garden in the Eighteenth Century

This volume brings together the papers presented at a conference entitled ‘Experiencing the Garden in the Eighteenth Century’, held at the Institute of Romance Studies, Senate House, University of London on 13 March 2004. Speakers came from Europe, the United States and New Zealand, and each gave a very different perspective on the eighteenth-century landscape garden in England, France and elsewhere in Europe. The papers focused on the theme of experience, an especially important aspect of eighteenth-century garden design. Landscape gardens were created for visitors to move through on a journey from one place to the next: the garden would not be seen all at once, but would be experienced as a story unfolding. The visitor would follow a circuit around the garden, moving from light to shade, being given suggestive prompts with statues, temples and viewpoints, as if on a sensory, emotional and intellectual journey.

Author Biography

The Editor: Dr Martin Calder lectures in French language and literature at the University of Bristol, specialising in the eighteenth century. He also contributes an option on French landscape gardens to the Garden History M.A. programme. He has published on Rousseau, Prévost and Graffigny. He also has a background in architectural design. He is currently conducting research on the subject of historic French gardens.