THAT THE FEELING for Nature is one of the new
developments of the modern spirit, is one of those commonplaces of criticism
which express vaguely and loosely a general impression gathered from the
comparison of ancient with modern poetry. Like most of such generalisations it
is not of much value unless defined more closely; and as the definition of the
rule becomes more accurate, the exceptions and limitations to be made grow
correspondingly numerous. The section which is here placed under this heading
is obviously different from any collection which could be made of modern
poems, professing to deal with Nature and not imitated from the Greek. But
when we try to analyse the difference, we find that the word Nature is one of
the most ambiguous possible. Man's relation to Nature is variable not only
from age to age, and from race to race, but from individual to individual, and
from moment to moment. And the feeling for Nature, as expressed in literature,
varies not only with all these variations but with other factors as well,
notably with the prevalent mode of poetical expression, and with the condition
of the other arts. []
