  Much of Du Bos’s book is devoted to an explanation of artistic genius. He is particularly concerned to explain why certain eras (the Golden Age of Athens, the Rome of Augustus, the Italian Renaissance, and the era of Louis XIV) are more productive of geniuses. Although Du Bos says, in passing, that a “poet needs divine inspiration” (1.33), he decisively rejects the Platonic conception of genius. Instead, he believes that genius has physical causes. In part, genius is to be explained by physiological considerations. According to Du Bos, a genius has a well-formed brain and other physiological advantages over other people. Most importantly, he believes, genius is the result of certain environmental factors. These factors include climate, air quality, soil, and diet. For example, England is supposedly unable to produce painters of the first rank because the climate is too cold. Although highly influential in the eighteenth century, Du Bos’s views on genius have been supplanted. Nevertheless, Du Bos’s views on genius are noteworthy as an early effort to provide a scientific explanation of genius.