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Approaches to Landscape pp 115–148Cite as

Landscapes of the Mind

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Abstract

In experiencing places, we simultaneously encounter two closely related but different landscapes. The one lying beneath our feet and extending to the far horizon is a real landscape; it is composed of rock, soil, vegetation and water, is home to an abundance of creatures and has objective past and present existences. The other is the perceived landscape, consisting of sensed and remembered accounts and hypotheses about the real landscape. It is, therefore, a selective impression of what the real landscape is like. The impression might be very close to reality, or it might contain some important misconceptions. These might lead, for example, to the neglect of a useful trail, the underestimation of the time needed to scale a peak or a search for birds or plants that prove to be absent in the area. When the one departs, the landscape enduring in the memory to be recalled and recounted will be the one founded on perceptions, not the real landscape.

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Authors
  1. Richard Muir
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© 1999 Richard Muir

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Muir, R. (1999). Landscapes of the Mind. In: Approaches to Landscape. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-27243-3_4

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