Maps, Lists, Views: How the Picturesque Wye transformed Topography.

The article considers how science influenced British literature of the 18th- and 19th-centuries by considering the 1801 book "Poems Chiefly Written in Retirement," by John Thelwall. It explores how topographical studies of the Wye River Valley, especially the area between Chepstow and Tintern Abbey in England, helped shift historical perception of the picturesque. Other books considered include "Historical Tour in Monmouthshire" by William Coxe, "Anecdotes of British Topography, or, an historical account of what has been done for illustrating the topographical antiquities of Great Britain" by Richard Gough, and "Observations on the River Wye. . . Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty" by William Gilpin. Other topics include antiquarians, Romantic poet William Wordsworth, natural history, and travel writing.