From Virgil to Marguerite Yourcenar, Gabriela Mistral and Victor Hugo, nature has always occupied a central place in human storytelling. At the heart of ancient myths, it inspires poets, fascinates philosophers, excites romantics and fuels speculative fiction.
Nature, an international muse
In Rêveries du promeneur solitaire (Reveries of the Solitary Walker), Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) expresses his passion for nature, which he sees as a permanent refuge where he can isolate himself from society: “The moment I escape from the procession of wicked people is delightful, and as soon as I find myself under the trees, surrounded by greenery, I feel as if I were in paradise on Earth.”
Like Rousseau, Goethe (1749–1832) in Germany evoked the symbiosis between man and nature. In The Sorrows of Young Werther, the eponymous hero, gifted with great sensitivity, sees nature as a welcoming maternal figure, composed of landscapes conducive to daydreaming throughout the seasons.
The emergence of Nature Writing
Describing our relationship with nature allows us to question the world we live in, but also to get to know ourselves better.
In 19th-century France, Romantic poets celebrated nature: Lamartine and his illustrious lake, Chateaubriand in his Mémoires d’Outre-tombe (Memoirs from Beyond the Grave) and Victor Hugo in his Contemplations. At the same time, the United States saw the emergence of the Nature Writing movement, a literature of the great outdoors that described extraordinary nature with admiration and lyricism. Introduced by Walden, or Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau, published in 1854, the theme of a hero who ventures alone into a hostile natural environment and emerges transformed became popular.
Born in the United States
Each North American state has its own outdoor novelist: Philip Meyer in Texas, John Krakauer in Alaska (who wrote Into the Wild, which was made into a film), Gérard Donovan in Maine, and so on. These stories depict a powerful and majestic natural world, the setting for profound meditations on the finitude of man and his place in the universe.
According to Cédric Baylocq Sassoubre, nature writing has developed significantly in the United States over the last 30 years, as a counterpoint to liberalism, rampant urbanisation, and the systematic destruction of most environmental standards. In France, Nicolas Bouvier and, more recently, Sylvain Tesson are among the leading figures in this genre of literature.
Writing precautions
However, the growing popularity of this literary genre has given rise to some reservations. Writer Jonathan Hope calls for a certain sobriety in writing, suggesting that it should focus on contemplation rather than performance to avoid the pitfall of autobiographical staging, where nature is merely a backdrop for recounting an outdoor exploit.
The writer also highlights the importance of the author’s power of observation and their capacity for wonder, which should not, however, lead them to excessive naivety. He advocates for a tender but also scholarly view of nature.
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