Which garden style was superior for eighteenth-century authors?

In the eighteenth century, garden design was hotly debated. Franco-Dutch formalists favoured symmetrical and mathematical gardens originating from across the Channel. This was the dominant style until midway through the century, when prominent authors such as Pope and Addison rebelled against its rigidity. They replaced it with naturalism, imitating the natural world through carefully planned landscaping. By assuming Stephen Bending's argument that the eighteenth century garden's intended reading experience made it a work of literature, this essay will examine a mixture of essays, poems and gardens to determine if which of the two styles was more effectively argued to be superior. First, I will examine early literature of the Franco-Dutch garden; then, mid-century naturalist garden literature; finally, I will examine literature on untouched natural spaces. Ultimately, I will argue that for authors of the period neither the Franco-Dutch nor the naturalist garden is able to supersede untouched nature in its superiority.