Pastorals (Pope)

Alexander Pope's Pastorals, also known as Four Pastorals, are a series of poems written early in his career, around the age of sixteen, and published in 1709 in the sixth volume of Poetical Miscellanies, edited by Jacob Tonson. They are considered imitations of Virgil's Eclogues and Theocritus's Idylls, classic examples of pastoral poetry.

The four pastorals are titled after the seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Each poem employs the conventions of the pastoral tradition, featuring shepherds and shepherdesses, idyllic landscapes, and allegorical or symbolic representations of contemporary life and themes. While ostensibly about rustic life, they often engage with broader social, political, and artistic concerns through the use of pastoral allegory.

Pope's Pastorals showcase his early mastery of the heroic couplet, the dominant verse form of the Augustan Age. He utilizes the form with considerable skill, achieving a polished and elegant style characteristic of his later work. While praised for their technical accomplishment, they have also been criticized for their artificiality and lack of genuine feeling, a common critique leveled at much pastoral poetry of the period.

Despite these criticisms, the Pastorals were instrumental in establishing Pope's reputation as a promising young poet and helped to launch his career. They demonstrate his early engagement with classical models and his commitment to refining and adapting those models to contemporary tastes and themes. The work is a significant example of early 18th-century English pastoral poetry and a valuable insight into the development of one of England's most important poets.