RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Power of the Picturesque: Motorists’ Perceptions of the Blue Ridge Parkway JF Landscape Journal FD University of Wisconsin Press SP 38 OP 53 DO 10.3368/lj.25.1.38 VO 25 IS 1 A1 Mary E. Myers YR 2006 UL http://lj.uwpress.org/content/25/1/38.abstract AB The Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP), in North Carolina and Virginia (1934–87), is considered one of America’s most beautiful roads. In an earlier article (LJ 23:2, 121–140), the author has hypothesized that its design is derived from the English picturesque theory of William Hogarth (1753) and Edmund Burke (1757). A pilot study and public survey were conducted to determine if contemporary public experience is consistent with Hogarth’s and Burke’s theories. Survey results indicate that public response to the BRP design is positive. Respondents indicated a preference for reverse curvature in the motor road structure (Hogarth’s serpentine Line of Grace) and for plant color and texture. There was strong support for Burke’s notion that positive emotion is associated with superior aesthetic experience.