Consuming gardens: paradise, nostalgia and postmodernism

Hewer, P.A. (2003) Consuming gardens: paradise, nostalgia and postmodernism. In: European Advances of Consumer Research, 2003-09-01.

Abstract

This paper unravels the types of relationships people have with their gardens. This is achieved through a review of previous literature on the topic, coupled with a theoretical contextualisation which utilises postmodern concepts, notably that of Jameson's 'nostalgic return' (1989). To illustrate the relevance of these concepts to an understanding of gardening the paper turns to a number of gardening 'texts' and 'spaces' to decipher the ways in which gardens are consumed within contemporary culture. It argues that representations of gardens cohere around two key motifs: the search for paradise and the imagined return to a long-forgotten past.

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