Pastoral Romances and Novels

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

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As a rule, the pastoral novel (German

Schäferroman

, Spanish

novela pastoril

) emerged after bucolic lyrics, epic poems, and dramas had already been composed. This type of novel has its roots in antiquity and experienced a revival in the entire European Renaissance and Baroque. Although much maligned since the Enlightenment, pastoral novels often provide significant insights into the development of literature and poetic diction as well as important glimpses of societal mores and conflicts.

The ancient model: Longus' Daphnis and Chloe

The ancient model: Longus'

Daphnis and Chloe

When Longus inaugurated the bucolic novel (ca. 200 A. D.), he could draw on a thousand years of Greek masterpieces: epic poems (Homer, The Odyssey, ninth century), prose novels (e.g., about Alexander, second

2921 words

Citation: Hoffmeister, Gerhart. "Pastoral Romances and Novels". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 03 June 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=5997, accessed 28 March 2024.]

5997 Pastoral Romances and Novels 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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