SOURCE: Stevenson, John W. “The Pastoral Setting in the Poetry of A. E. Housman.” South Atlantic Quarterly 55, no. 4 (October 1956): 487-500.

In the following essay, Stevenson examines the element of pastoralism in A Shropshire Lad and concludes that Housman's brand of pastoral is realistic rather than artificial and idyllic.

An obvious comment on Housman is that he wrote in a pastoral vein; it is more difficult to define the nature of his pastoralism and its contribution to the peculiar and singular achievement of his poetry. Critics have found it hard to explain the quality and texture of his verse, praising him rather for his classical smoothness and restraint, his clarity and succinctness, and his polish and lightness. None has adequately explained the reason for his poetic success or defined the quality which makes his poetry work. A great deal of his success seems to lie in the manner in...