Captioned Landscapes: Intermedial Combinations Beyond the Human

This exciting and timely collection of essays on ‘captioned landscapes’, i.e. inscriptions in natural environments, does what its title promises: through an ecomedial approach, it opens inspiring new ways of thinking intermedial networks beyond the human and across centuries and cultures. As the editor Marco Maggi in his illuminating introduction explains, captioned landscapes have the potential to trigger transformative encounters between the human and non-human world. The impressively wide range of articles analyze captioned landscapes from antiquity to the present day and from Europe to Eurasia, thus kindling a profound literary discussion of captioned landscapes as a specific, yet under-researched intermedial phenomenon. As a notable intervention in the vibrant scholarly debates of intermediality and ecomedia, the two volumes of this essay collection will no doubt enjoy a wide readership.

Prof. Dr. Gabriele Rippl

University of Bern, Switzerland

These two volumes explore historical and contemporary dimensions of textualized—or textualizing—“captioned” landscapes, ranging from gardens and nature parks to land art and other 'geo/graphies'. Editor Marco Maggio’s thoughtful Introduction provides an inspiring point of entry, and the contributing authors enrich contemporary intermedial studies while extending ecocritical and environmental thought in fresh directions. The proposed “ecomedial turn” clearly merits careful, creative elaboration and sustained critical engagement.

Prof. Dr. Jørgen Bruhn

Linnaeus University Centre for Intermedial and Multimodal Studies, Sweden

This very learned book is a treasure of high academic standard. Path breaking it offers a new take on ecocritical theory dedicated to gardens and landscapes, allying studies on the human and non-human intermedial studies, relying on strong references and former works by scholars specialising in intermediality and cross-disciplinary exchanges. It also pertains to comparative literature in its broader sense as «captioning»—a well defined term — landscape is a fine example of associating and combining media. It is also wide-ranging in its cross-cultural approach as it includes various civilizations and practices such as the Chinese one (see ill.), and includes the historical perspective of garden studies.

It is a far-reaching book which might appeal to museum curators, historians and garden students. One of its kind, it is so stimulating and far-reaching due to its intrinsec qualities by its earnestness and genuiness, offering a new way of renewing literary studies dedicated to ecocriticism and ecological mores.

Liliane Louvel

Emeritus Professor

University of Poitiers, France

"Captioned Landscapes. Intermedial Combinations Beyond the Human" brings together fascinating essays on the interlacing of words and things in landscapes and gardens from ancient China to the present day. With a useful introduction by editor Marco Maggi, this book makes a significant contribution to literature on intermediality as a theoretical tool for understanding the complexities of spaces that are simultaneously material and immaterial, whole and fragmented, and represented and experienced. Drawing on careful analysis of significant case studies and genuine theoretical ambition, this collection will appeal to readers and scholars from various disciplines who are interested in a multidisciplinary approach to gardens and landscapes.

Prof. Dr. Denis Ribouillault

Département d'histoire de l'art, de cinéma et des médias audiovisuels

University of Montreal