Pastoral images in poetic practice

Type :

Term papers

Pages :

4 pages

Format :

.doc

Published date :

07/29/2009

Category :

Philosophy & literature

Sub category :

Literature

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Summary :

Introduction
Pastoral representation in poetry
The condition in the late sixteenth century
The role of Pastoral themes
Importance of the use of pastoral tactics
Milton's views on marriage and the social roles of man and woman
Iconography: A symbol of religion?
Conclusion
Works cited

Abstract

pastoral "is a double longing after innocence and happiness," its "universal idea is the Golden Age...it is based on the antithesis of Art and Nature; and its fundamental motive is hostility to urban life. " As educational awakening started to filter into the consciousness of writers and artists throughout the seventeenth century, their work began to take on more social awareness and a religious tone. pastoral representation is clear through much of seventeenth century poetry and literature of all forms. While this genre ultimately complicates the subject undertaken by the poet, removing simplicity as every line can be read with a deeper meaning, it has been proved as a very necessary tool of the poetic art. Poets writing within this genre such as John Milton, John Donne, and Aemilia Lanyer, give themselves controls and a direct aim with which they can express their views. The nature of contrasting truths, found common within everyday life allows the writer to comment on the status quo, both positively and negatively while also inserting his own belief into his completed work. Milton uses the pastoral genre to infuse Paradise Lost with his beliefs on the politics of society, notably, through his descriptions of settings and landscapes. Different from Milton, Donne is able to benefit from the use of the pastoral by not describing his setting but by personifying it (the sun) in order to showcase love. Lanyer's poem appears to speak wholly about a setting. In actuality, she uses the landscape to show her emotional connection with the place and the feelings it evokes. The pastoral genre enables the poet to be a social commentator and an artist, simultaneously.