Abstract: Swedish feminist and aesthetic thinker Ellen Key (1849–1926) continually returned to questions of freedom and determinism, a tension actualized with special poignancy in her discussions on climate. While Key adheres to a time-honored tradition of climatological determinism, she also theorizes the need to transcend the given conditions of life through art. Importantly, she sees the spiritual evolution of mankind as dependent on the aesthetic improvement – and manipulation – of our surrounding environments. In the context of modernity and urbanization, art is also considered a necessary supplement to nature. As I suggest, Key’s reflections on climate and environmental aesthetics provide the conceptual impetus for her more famous work on the beautification of everyday life. By exploring these connections, Key’s aesthetic theories gain new meaning and relevance.
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