J. B. Jackson - Education and Early Writings

Education and Early Writings

Jackson’s experiences in college were influential in his approach to the shaping of the landscape. He attended the Experimental College of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Introduced to the writings of two contemporary social critics, Jackson gained an insight into architecture and planning from the writings of Lewis Mumford and he was fascinated by Oswald Spengler’s revelation in Decline of the West that “landscapes reflected the culture of the people that were living there.”

In 1929 Jackson attended Harvard for three years. One instructor, Irving Babbitt, was influential in Jackson’s opposition to modernism. His taste for Baroque style and history began to blossom at this time. He believed that the zest of the Baroque style was the essence of the connection between humankind and nature. While attending Harvard, Jackson wrote articles for the Harvard Advocate. His career of writing about what truly makes up the landscape began here.

Following his graduation from Harvard, Jackson tried courses in architecture, writing, and drawing. Each would later serve as the bases for essays, lectures, and articles for his magazine, Landscape. He wandered through Europe in 1934 to 1935 studying Baroque style. While in Europe, Jackson began to write articles critical of Nazism and published them in the American Review and Harper's. His interest in politics began to show in his works. In 1938, his novel, titled Saints in Summertime, was published. The book revealed the infiltration of Nazism and the soldiers’ attraction to energy emanating from power.