Philippe-Sirice Bridel, the Natural Landscape, and the Swiss National Sentiment

Authors

  • Nicolas de Félice University of Geneva, Switzerland

Abstract

When the young Philippe-Sirice Bridel traveled for a few days in the Swiss Alps in the summer of 1775, he became enthusiastic about the beauty of nature. The landscape of the mountains and the old man he met there helped to awaken a strong patriotic feeling in him, in which the wise and free character of the Swiss is reflected in their identification with their natural environment.

Author Biography

Nicolas de Félice, University of Geneva, Switzerland

Nicolas de Félice, a researcher and doctoral student at the University of Geneva, analyzes the descriptions of the natural environment in Switzerland through the “ego-documents,” i.e., in private writings, from the second half of the eighteenth century to the first third of the nineteenth century. He focuses more specifically on how the political and philosophical views of individuals influence their perception of nature. In 2021–2022, Nicolas de Félice was a visiting scholar at the Rachel Carson Center in Munich.

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Published

2023-03-08

Issue

Section

Autumn