Travels in Regency England: Prince Pückler’s Letters of a Dead Man

Linda B. Parshall, professor of German literature and language, Portland State University; John Beardsley, director of garden and landscape studies, Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. In 1826, the prince of Pückler-Muskau embarked on an extended tour of England, Wales, and Ireland to acquire a wealthy bride and restore the dream of transforming his estate into an ideal landscape park. His masterpiece, Letters of a Dead Man, published in 1830, discusses his acute portrayals of the British aristocracy, their country houses and art collections, the rise of industry and urban poverty, and, above all, the beauty of the landscape. In this lecture recorded on June 19, 2016 at the National Gallery of Art, Linda B. Parshall discusses her new unabridged translation of Prince Pückler’s Letters of a Dead Man. A conversation moderated by John Beardsley follows.