Thoreau, "Ktaadn"

--In several passages here, Thoreau considers the situation of New England Native Americans. What is his attitude toward them? In a late passage, he compares them to the urban poor. Compare this vision to the depiction of Native Americans (whether the mound-builders or the "Red-Man") of Bryant's poem.

--This text is famous for its depiction of the sublime and we will spend a fair time in class looking at the passages when he comes to the top of Ktaadn and the next day coming down through the Burnt Lands. Consider what the sublime experience means for Thoreau here, what it suggests about the human relationship to nature and our sense of self?

--This text is very much about wilderness, a landscape in a primitive state. Compare Thoreau's vision of this landscape to that of Cole's "Savage State."

Bryant & Cole

--Bryant's poem "The Prairies" narrates the poet's reverie at the sublime prospect of the midwestern prairies described in Cole's "Essay." In what ways does it represent the experience of the sublime? How does it fit or not fit with our characterization of the sublime in class?

--"The Prairies" is a depiction of Native American civilization. What is Bryant's attitude toward the Native Americans? How does he represent their culture/s and their disappearance? What is the depiction of European settlement of the prairies?

Cole's series "The Course of Empire" represents a single location over time, telling a story and presenting a vision of history. Compare it to Bryant's poetic vision of the prairie landscape and itse history.

Thomas Cole, "Essay on American Scenery" (1836)

Please don't try to answer all of these questions--select one or even an element of one to answer. (ps--I won't normally write this many questions!)

--"Picturesque" and "sublime" are terms featured prominently but never defined in Cole's essay. Combine his use of the terms to the definitions you have found in your research. How do they agree or diverge from Cole's usage?

--This essay hinges upon a seemingly contradictory relationship between "cultivation" (developing an appreciation or 'taste' for natural beauty) and the "uncultivated" (nature in its pure state). Does this seeming contradiction produce a problem for the essay? How does one 'cultivate a taste for the uncultivated' and what effect should it have according to Cole? Do you agree or disagree with Cole's notions: explain how or why.

--Select a painting from the group made available on artstor, identify whether it is mainly picturesque or sublime and describe what makes it so.

At the end of the essay, Cole discusses both the threat of the destruction of the American landscape by "improvement" and a more hopeful future of peaceful, tasteful development. Select a painting that has evidence of human presence from the group made available on artstor (two salient examples are Cole's "View from Mt. Holyoke" and "Notch in the White Mountains") and discuss how the painting might be addressing the positive or negative effect of humans on the American landscape.