Arcadian Recourses Summary and Analysis

"If the opposite of war is peace, the opposite of experiencing moments of war is proposing moments of pastoral. Since war takes place outdoors and always within nature, its symbolic status is that of the ultimate antipastoral" (Chap. 7, p. 231). Yet, there are many things pastoral in the literature about the war. There is talk of flowers, birds, bees, gardens, nymphs, and such things. This is basically the model-like world of English writing. This English model is quite prevalent in literature, and that is what this chapter is all about.

Gardens have always been important factors in English literature and the use of the pastoral also applies to some of the war literature. There is a great deal of use of gardens and flowers in the war literature. For example, Wilfred Owen's "Exposure" talks about the men freezing in the...