Travel Essays · Question
How does Travel Essays develop the theme of Nature and the Sublime?
Answer
Travel Essays by Robert Louis Stevenson develops Nature and the Sublime across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
The beauty of rivers, forests, and changing weather is depicted as both a source of joy and a force that shapes human mood, with nature offering moments of transcendence and reflection.
The narrator extols the forest of Mormal as a living, majestic entity, contrasting its beauty and permanence with human transience.
The river is portrayed as both beautiful and terrifying, with the reeds shivering in fear and the current described as a 'Centaur carrying off a nymph,' highlighting nature's power and indifference.
The description of the Golden Valley, the thunderstorm, and the river's relentless flow evoke the power and beauty of nature.
Evidence in the book
- On the Sambre Canalised: To Landrecies
The narrator extols the forest of Mormal as a living, majestic entity, contrasting its beauty and permanence with human transience.
- The Oise in Flood
The river is portrayed as both beautiful and terrifying, with the reeds shivering in fear and the current described as a 'Centaur carrying off a nymph,' highlighting nature's power and indifference.
- Down the Oise: Through the Golden Valley
The description of the Golden Valley, the thunderstorm, and the river's relentless flow evoke the power and beauty of nature.
- Down the Oise: To Compiègne
The clearing weather, grand clouds, and tranquil river evoke a sense of natural beauty and the sublime.
- Edinburgh
The chapter emphasizes Edinburgh's dramatic natural setting, with its hills, crags, and vistas, evoking a sense of the sublime.
- New Town—Town and Country
Stevenson emphasizes the surprising views of hills, sea, and countryside from within the city, and the ameliorating influence of nature on urban life.
- VIII: The Calton Hill
The panoramic views from the hill, the sea, and the night sky evoke the sublime beauty of the natural landscape.
- X: To the Pentland Hills
The chapter vividly describes the Pentland Hills, the expansive view from the summit, and the interplay of natural elements like wind, birds, and landscape, evoking a sense of the sublime.
