Pastoralism in 18th Century Poetry

A detailed Summary of Pastoralism in 18th Century Poetry

The pastoral is a poetic genre popularized in the 18th century that idealizes the peaceful and simple countryside lifestyle. Pastoral poems are ordinarily written about those who live close to nature, namely shepherds and farmers. These poems about rustic tranquillity often relate a life in which humans lived contentedly off the earth. The pastoral poem often looks to nature and the simple life as a retreat from the complications of a society in which humans have become degenerate. Two poems from this era which we have studied, The Thresher's Labour, by Stephen Duck, and An Elegy Wrote in a Country Churchyard, by Thomas Gray, fit well into this category of literature.

The first poem, The Thresher's Labor, gives a first-hand account of the hard life of a farm worker. Lexico LLC's Online Dictionary defines the verb "thresh" as: "To beat the stems and husks of grain or cereal plants with a machine or flail to separate the grains or seeds from the straw" (Lexico LLC, 2001). In the course of the poem, the author tells the story of his life working on his master's farm threshing crops. The author does not seem to enjoy his work, but rather accepts its grueling repetitiveness as a way of life.

Gray, Thomas. "An Elegy Wrote in a Country Churchyard." British Literature 1640-

Duck, Stephen. "The Thresher's Labour." Poems on Several Occasions. 1736.

given little time to rest from their work, and the author says, "Rest never does, but on the Sabbath, show" (p. 5). The workers recognize that the fruit of their labor is enjoyed by those who are more fortunate, saying: "Let those who feast at ease on dainty Fare, Pity the Reapers, who their Feasts prepare" (p. 5). In my opinion, this poem is not necessarily anti-pastoral in nature, despite the reader's perception that the author is faced with constant hardship with little leisure time. "Thus, as the Year's revolving Course goes round, No respite from our Labor can be found...our Work is never done" (p. 6). Signs of an appreciation for the land can be seen in the lines: "The grateful Tidings presently imparts Life to our Looks, and Spirits to our Hearts... And, joyful, long to breath the op'ner Air" (p. 2). The life of a thresher is depicted in this poem as a hard one, but the author and the workers have appreciation for the land, and recognize the usefulness of their hard wo!

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Approximate Word count = 992
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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