The aesthetics of garden in Literature: Delille, Goethe and Poe

Abstract

The article reflects on literary discourses of garden and nature there are in determined works written by Jacques Delille, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Edgar Allan Poe. It initially presents a current bibliographic sources dedicated to interpret the overlay between literature and gardening in order to approaching the representation of gardens in Delille´s poem “The gardens” (1782), Goethe´s novel Elective affinities (1809) and in two Poe´s tales – The Domain of Arnheim or The Landscape Garden (1842) and Landor´s cottage. A pendant to the domain of Arnheim (1846). The narrative of text considers the two forms of eighteenth century garden – “French taste” and “landscapes-garden” – as allegories of different worldviews, which mainly concern on human being relates to its peers and with nature. The methodology employs an interdisciplinary approach with focus upon Aesthetics, Literature, Art History and Architecture.