Die pittoreske Landschaft in der europaischen Literatur der Romantik: Chateaubriand – Eichendorff – Manzoni

At the end of the 18th century the English picturesque landscape garden proliferates all over Europe displacing the French formal garden. Expressing the ideas of liberty and individuality, it soon becomes a symbol of the modern concept of humankind and, accordingly, one of the most prominent and profound motifs of Romantic literature. This study examines descriptions of picturesque landscapes in the works of three eminent representatives of European Romanticism. Both Chateaubriand and Eichendorff as well as Manzoni reflect the position of modern self in a constantly changing, complex world through their use of the picturesque and it’s play with perspective.