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swanonthepond 's review for:
This book elaborate on the division between pastoral and industrial ideals in American culture through an analysis of mid 19th century American literature. While this argument and analytical process may seem niche and bland, I believe this book is of perennial importance, especially today. Marx's argument that a division between nature and industrial society is traceable from Roman times to the modern day rings true in the face of a renewable energy transition bringing new forms of machinery into rural landscapes. I found myself reading Marx's analysis of Thoreau and Emerson lamenting the railroad altering the countryside and imagining what they would have said of wind and solar energy facilities today.
Marx also discusses the distinction between the pastoral as a set of ideals, and as a set of complex relationships in a landscape, which is very important today as truly pastoral landscapes continue to urbanize. Finally, I think Marx makes an interesting connection to the work of Karl Marx through his comparison of the freedom associated with natural landscapes to the restricted lifestyle associated with industrial society.
Marx also discusses the distinction between the pastoral as a set of ideals, and as a set of complex relationships in a landscape, which is very important today as truly pastoral landscapes continue to urbanize. Finally, I think Marx makes an interesting connection to the work of Karl Marx through his comparison of the freedom associated with natural landscapes to the restricted lifestyle associated with industrial society.