Gardens: An Essay on the Human Condition
SKU: 55758738047

Gardens: An Essay on the Human Condition

Sale price$13.77 Regular price$15.30
Save 10%

Shipping Estimate
USA
  • USA
  • CAN

Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Jul 6 - Jul 11

Promo Codes Available:

For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15

Description

Gardens: An Essay on the Human ConditionHumans have long turned to gardens both real and imaginary for sanctuary from the frenzy and tumult that surrounds them. Those gardens may be as far away from everyday reality as Gilgamesh's garden of the gods or as near as our own backyard, but in their very conception and the marks they bear of human care and cultivation, gardens stand as restorative, nourishing, necessary havens. With Gardens, Robert Pogue Harrison graces readers with a thoughtful,

Humans have long turned to gardens--both real and imaginary--for sanctuary from the frenzy and tumult that surrounds them. Those gardens may be as far away from everyday reality as Gilgamesh's garden of the gods or as near as our own backyard, but in their very conception and the marks they bear of human care and cultivation, gardens stand as restorative, nourishing, necessary havens.

With Gardens, Robert Pogue Harrison graces readers with a thoughtful, wide-ranging examination of the many ways gardens evoke the human condition. Moving from from the gardens of ancient philosophers to the gardens of homeless people in contemporary New York, he shows how, again and again, the garden has served as a check against the destruction and losses of history. The ancients, explains Harrison, viewed gardens as both a model and a location for the laborious self-cultivation and self-improvement that are essential to serenity and enlightenment, an association that has continued throughout the ages. The Bible and Qur'an; Plato's Academy and Epicurus's Garden School; Zen rock and Islamic carpet gardens; Boccaccio, Rihaku, Capek, Cao Xueqin, Italo Calvino, Ariosto, Michel Tournier, and Hannah Arendt--all come into play as this work explores the ways in which the concept and reality of the garden has informed human thinking about mortality, order, and power.

Alive with the echoes and arguments of Western thought, Gardens is a fitting continuation of the intellectual journeys of Harrison's earlier classics, Forests and The Dominion of the Dead. Voltaire famously urged us to cultivate our gardens; with this compelling volume, Robert Pogue Harrison reminds us of the nature of that responsibility--and its enduring importance to humanity.

I find myself completely besotted by a new book titled Gardens: An Essay on the Human Condition, by Robert Pogue Harrison. The author . . . is one of the very best cultural critics at work today. He is a man of deep learning, immense generosity of spirit, passionate curiosity and manifold rhetorical gifts.--Julia Keller, Chicago Tribune

This book is about gardens as a metaphor for the human condition. . . . Harrison draws freely and with brilliance from 5,000 years of Western literature and criticism, including works on philosophy and garden history. . . . He is a careful as well as an inspiring scholar.--Tom Turner, Times Higher Education

When I was a student, my Cambridge supervisor said, in the Olympian tone characteristic of his kind, that the only living literary critics for whom he would sell his shirt were William Empson and G. Wilson Knight. Having spent the subsequent 30 years in the febrile world of academic Lit. Crit. . . . I'm not sure that I'd sell my shirt for any living critic. But if there had to be one, it would unquestionably be Robert Pogue Harrison, whose study Forests: The Shadow of Civilization, published in 1992, has the true quality of literature, not of criticism--it stays with you, like an amiable ghost, long after you read it.

"Though more modest in scope, this new book is similarly destined to become a classic. It has two principal heroes: the ancient philosopher Epicurus . . . and the wonderfully witty Czech writer Karel Capek, apropos of whom it is remarked that, whereas most people believe gardening to be a subset of life, 'gardeners, including Capek, understand that life is a subset of gardening.'"--Jonathan Bate, The Spectator



Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: 09/01/2009
ISBN: 9780226317908
Pages: 248
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.50w x 0.70d

Review Citations: New York Times Book Review 10/11/2009 pg. 20
Shipping Notes
  • Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
  • Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
  • Delivery to the USA:
  1. Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
  • If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
  • We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
  • To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
  • Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
SKU: 55758738047

Discover Niche Categories That Outsell

Top-Converting Item to Boost Your Average Order

4.1 ★★★★★
Based on 278 reviews
Sort
Highest Rating
Newest First
Oldest First
Product Reviews
J
Verified Purchase
Justine Smtih
Battle Creek, US
★★★★★ 5
Perfect for a skin reset
Style: Updated Formula
Sometimes I just need to reset my skin and use gentle non-irritating products. This set is perfect. The thermal water spray is the BEST. I travel with it and it always keeps my skin calm. And hydrated.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2026
L
Verified Purchase
Leidi Pereira
Belleville, US
★★★★★ 5
“Great starter kit for sensitive skin
Style: Updated Formula
The products are gentle, soothing, and didn’t cause any irritation. My skin feels calmer, hydrated, and healthier after using them. Perfect size to try the routine before buying the full products.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2026
H
Verified Purchase
Harmony
Pawtucket, US
★★★★★ 5
Dermatologist recommended; soothing for sensitive skin
Style: Updated Formula
Recommended by my dermatologist for sensitive skin. So comforting! Appreciate the sample size kit.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2026
V
Verified Purchase
Victoria Van Deventer
Dallas, US
★★★★★ 5
Truly amazing products!! TY!
Style: Updated Formula
Husband has sever skin conditions, ONLY protects that doesn’t sting or burn his skin!! And he’s tried almost everything OTC!
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2026
T
Verified Purchase
Theresa Jarman
Phoenix, US
★★★★★ 4
Good for sensitive skin
Style: Updated Formula
It actually helps my skin. I had curology before this and still had breakouts around my lips and nose. After trading to this, it has calmed down a lot. No bumps or pimples. This package is smaller samples to test out to see if it's good for you and your skin. Its really good for sensitive skin.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2026

recommand products