Victorian Environments

Abstract

This introduction maps a sequence of Victorian environmental changes, some in the outdoors, others in cities, and still others in the empire. The introduction considers both imaginary and real landscapes, while at the same time engaging with the Victorians’ inheritance of the Romantic view of nature. Addressing the idea that the nineteenth century may be a point of origin for the Anthropocene, this chapter considers the role played by the Victorians in conserving and destroying the environment, while at the same time charting their environmental awareness, particularly in relation to the settlement of Australia.