The theme of nature in literary works In his Poetics, Plato contemplates the nature of aesthetics and existence. It postulates that for every existing object and idea there is an absolute "ideal" that transcends human experience. He further concludes that art, including literature, is an aesthetic representation of real objects and ideas that is used to better understand their "ideals". In theory, when an object comes closer to the ideal, it also becomes a better subject for the artist. American artists in particular have been given an invaluable opportunity to explore this realm of the Platonic ideal. Because the American continent and its wilderness were largely untouched by the ravages of civilization, the natural world found there by early settlers was much closer to being "ideal" than anywhere else. else on Earth. For this reason, nature has become one of the most important themes in American art, especially literature. Specific examples from American literature, including the works Moby Dick, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Walden, and “To a Waterfowl,” can show how American authors explore the ideals of human existence through aesthetic representations of nature. William Cullen Bryant, who has been called "the father of American poetry," is one of the first artists to capture the essence of nature in America and apply it to the human experience. In his poem “To A Waterfowl” he uses the example of a waterfowl to reach a better understanding of human existence. In the poem, waterfowl are described as an almost perfect creation and are treated with a sense of reverence. The first stanza demonstrates this: Where, amidst the falling dew, while the skies shine with the... in the middle of the paper... the toic devotion he has to find the truth in nature. He intends to learn from it and make himself vulnerable to it. Clearly Thoreau believes that nature is close to a Platonic ideal, truth. He says that nature contains the "essential facts of life" and through his writing he gets closer to nature itself, and therefore to the truth. The same is also true in some ways for Twain, Melville and Bryant. This is the key to American literature. If art is truly the representation of an impalpable ideal, made in the hope of better understanding existence, then nature has been the greatest vehicle for art in America. Since the colonization of this continent, American authors have been strongly influenced by a wild, beautiful and almost ideal nature. American literature, therefore, considered nature the most important and beloved subject..