This section is all about helping you memorize crucial information whilst you revise/study. Remember it, Test it!
Remember It!
Rural– the pastoral setting is always the countryside or in nature, often in farmland, in a farming community or in woodland and sometimes in contrast to an urban setting.- Paradise– the version of rural life portrayed is usually idealised and perfect.
- Innocence– everyone is seen as natural, pure and innocent, even sexuality is seen as natural and beautiful.
- Rustic– the pastoral looks to a simple and traditional way of life in opposition to any mechanisation or industry.
- Nature- people are close to nature, even connected with it in pastoral writing, it plays a very important role in setting and actively in the lives of characters.
Rural– the pastoral setting is always the countryside or in nature, often in farmland, in a farming community or in woodland and sometimes in contrast to an urban setting.——————————————————
Test It!
- How does Wordsworth’s Romantic language in ‘Tintern Abbey’ link with the pastoral?
- Choose one text you have studied that subverts the traditional conventions of the pastoral genre and write about three examples from the text where it does this.
- How do any of the texts you have studied express a fear of industrialisation or the city?
- William Blake was known as a city poet, how do you think this affected his pastoral poetry set in the countryside? You could include references to his poetry about London, for example ‘Jerusalem’.
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Some top tips!
- Print out the Test It! Questions – it will allow you to replicate exam conditions and also allows you to give your eyes a rest from the computer screen whilst doing your crucial revision.
- Make a copy of the Remember It! Section and put in a place that you often look at. i.e. front of a journal, next to a mirror, on a kitchen cupboard door, etc. That way you can do some cheeky A Level English revision whilst doing those things you have to do!