The Development of the Feeling for Nature in the Middle Ages and Modern Times

The Development of the Feeling for Nature in the Middle Ages and Modern Times by Alfred Biese is a landmark work in cultural history and aesthetics that traces humanity’s evolving relationship with the natural world from the early Christian era through the Enlightenment and into modernity. With profound intellectual breadth, Biese explores how religion, art, literature, philosophy, and historical events shaped mankind’s perception of and emotional response to nature. Beginning with the austere theological outlook of the early Christian centuries, Biese contrasts the indifference and suspicion toward the physical world with the vibrant “heathen” traditions that retained a latent appreciation for natural beauty. He then tracks the reawakening of nature-feeling through the medieval crusading spirit, Renaissance individualism, the mysticism of Catholic seers, and the dramatic works of Shakespeare. Subsequent chapters explore how the discovery of landscape in painting, Rococo and Enlightenment sentimentality, and Romanticism deepened and diversified the aesthetic of the natural world. The book culminates in a discussion of modern pantheism and universal sympathy for nature, reflecting the emergence of a more integrated worldview where nature is no longer “other” but a profound extension of the self. Combining literary criticism, art history, and philosophy, Biese’s work remains an essential resource for scholars of Romanticism, environmental aesthetics, European intellectual history, and the spiritual history of nature.