How did Confederation poets use the Canadian landscape in their poetry?

The Confederation poets—a group of late 19th-century writers including Charles G.D. Roberts, Bliss Carman, Archibald Lampman, and Duncan Campbell Scott—used the Canadian landscape as a central element in their search for a distinct national verse.12

Rather than merely describing or moralizing nature as their predecessors had, these poets sought to capture an "answering harmony between the soul of the poet and the spirit and mystery of nature". Their approach was characterized by:2

• Transcendental and Romantic Praise: They expressed a national consciousness through a romanticized view of the wilderness, often retreating to unspoiled nature as a reaction against Canada’s growing industrialization.1
• Meditation and Description: The poets utilized vivid, descriptive lyrics to explore the scenery of regions like the Maritimes and the northern wilderness, often using nature as a backdrop for philosophical speculation.123
• Symbolism: They frequently employed the landscape, such as the maple tree, as a dominant symbol of the Canadian identity.1

Through these methods, they moved beyond documentary accounts of the land to create a more symbolic and internal connection with the Canadian environment.2