The Wilderness

Question 1

What is the idea surrounding the wilderness?

Answer 1

a natural landscape untrampled by humans and settlement
it is a social and cultural construction of wild nature that changes and is wild

Question 2

Agrararianism

Answer 2

making the land productive

Question 3

civilization vs Wilderness contrast

Answer 3

Civilization: light, good, order, culture, productive safe known

wilderness: dark, evil, chaos, nature, unproductive, dangerous, unknown

Question 4

Robin hood and the wilderness

Answer 4

forests were a place where thieves lived, you had to have protection when going through the forest, an ambush might happen

Question 5

Brothers grimm stories

Answer 5

stories were made to scare children away from forests

Question 6

Mountains

Answer 6

people avoided them as Obsticles
the alps were described as warts in blisters, pimples of the planet
filled with beasts, people would blindfold themselves, scared of what they would see
the grand canyon was avoided for 300 years, viewed as a wasteland

Question 7

Praries

Answer 7

henry kelsey was the first european to visit the praries in canada, He was a HBC trader and described the land as plain, deserted, no trees, baren and inhospitable

Question 8

The enlightenment

Answer 8

time of transformation for nature and the wilderness, changed it into an object of study - biological science and observations lead to the demystificaiton of the wild

Question 9

Who was one of the first people to study nature?

Answer 9

Alexander van Humboldt

Question 10

explain the lady liberty painting

Answer 10

advancements in society lead to the exploration of nature.

Question 11

People of the wilderness

Answer 11

Wildman, Yeti, bigfoot, norse people, savages (steriotype name used for indigenous people)
barbarian and uncivil

Question 12

how did the romantic period boost exploration of nature?

Answer 12

encouraged people to find the beauty in nature
Picturesque - aesthetic - finding nature beautiful
lead to the city beautiful movement

Question 13

Sublime Aesthetic

Answer 13

emphisized the terror and awesomeness of wild nature
wildness = sacredness
being blown away
feeling small

Question 14

Back to nature movement

Answer 14

Start of the modern outdoor recreation
camping, hiking, skiing, summer homes
development of parks
a vacation away from life’s responsibilities
- indigenous people are re casted as knowledgeable, but sparked the game of playing ‘indian’