Customer Reviews

The Culture of Nature: North American Landscape from Disney to the Exxon Valdez

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In "The Culture of Nature," Alexander Wilson argues that our sense of what counts as nature or as natural is by no means a "natural" or spontaneous perception of a preexistant and untouchable Nature. Instead, he demonstrates that how we experience and think of nature are largely shaped by the cultural, social, political, and economic forces that surround us and pervade our experience even when we think we have escaped them by leaving the city and venturing into the great outdoors. To support his argument, Wilson offers compelling anaylses of theme parks, forest preserves, wildlife conservation programs, scenic roadways, car, truck, train and air travel, and more. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the city versus the wildnerness experience, in how cultural forces affect our sense of what is natural, and in the role that government and financial forces have on our experience of our surroundings--especially of our "natural" surroundings.