On the 'Natural Garden'
Posted by Caroline on January 21, 1998 at 16:02:55:
In response to Manners makyth man, written by Helen on January 21, 1998 at 15:50:02
Would that be a C18th thimble, then? and could you tell the difference?
Yes, C18th . thimbles are kind of old and decrepit-looking, not all new and shiny.... ;-)
Also, on the "real" elegance of Pemberley: I got very carried away in thinking about this with proposing Capability Brown and his landscapes as a model for JA's ideal of the nature/nurture balance - think of the gentle, rolling fields at Pemberley: not wild and untamed, nor over-cultivated, giving an air of naturalness but in fact the product of many hours of careful gardening. In this sense, one could almost take Pemberley, in Darbyshire, as a midpoint again - between the wildness of the Lakes (which Elizabeth never reaches) and the social constraints of the South of England.
Interesting point..that could probably be dealt with on its own (Oh, you don't know HOW long I've been waiting!)
Mr Brown advocated "natural" in the sense of all living...no temples, pagodas, or arches and statues. But he still wanted the overall balance that could only come from careful study of individual sites, application of the principles of Art, and lots and lots of TLC., as you say. After him came sir Humphrey Repton, who advocated the same but with "follies", ruins, castles etc.....which he claimed were still natural. I find it interesting that JA refers directly to Mr Repton in MP, and in a rather denigrating fashion (well, that's how I read it, anyway...)
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