A
Wild and Pleasing Outline
The
Attitude of Inspection
Eye
Level
Nature essayists often speak of the difference between merely looking at and truly seeing the natural world. They urge us to shift our perspective and attention as we observe--to climb a tree or hill, crawl about with our noses to the ground, look up or down as well as ahead, or pay attention to spaces as well as objects--in short, to engage our minds and imaginations. Henry David Thoreau wrote, "Objects are concealed from our view, not so much because they are out of the course of our visual ray as because we do not bring our minds and eyes to bear on them. . . . There is just as much beauty visible to us in the landscape as we are prepared to appreciate,--not a grain more." ("Autumnal Tints").
Click on the images or titles below to read some nature writers' reflections of the art of seeing . . .
| A
Wild and Pleasing Outline |
|||
| The
Attitude of Inspection |
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| Eye
Level |