A Transatlantic History of the Picturesque: An Introductory Essay

Abstract

Traces the history of, and critical debates about, the picturesque from its eighteenth-century genesis in Britain through its migration to Continental Europe and the United States. Argues the nineteenth century marks a transformation in the use of the picturesque: The concept migrated not only internationally beyond the landscapes of Britain, but also spatially from the countryside to the city, and as a result picturesque travelers were forced to confront the moral implications of aestheticizing poverty, particularly in the work of Dickens, Ruskin, and Howells. Concludes with an overview of debates in the field and explains how the essays in this special issue contribute to the ongoing debates about ethics and representation, and the related question of whether the picturesque is about controlling landscapes or relishing their disorderliness.