An eclogue is a poem in a classical pastoral style, sometimes also called a bucolic. The genre began with the Roman poet Virgil, whose ten Eclogues drew on Theocritus's Idylls and blended pastoral dialogue, song contests and contemporary reference; the form spread through Renaissance Europe, notably in Edmund Spenser's twelve-part Shepheardes Calendar, and later writers adapted it to town, exotic and non-shepherd settings.
Facts
Place of OriginAncient Rome, mid-1st century BC, beginning with Virgil's Eclogues, itself modelled on the Hellenistic Greek pastoral Idylls of Theocritus. 1 Notable ExampleVirgil's ten Eclogues (also titled Bucolica), which drew on Theocritus's Idylls; later imitated by Calpurnius Siculus and Nemesianus in their own Eclogae. 1 Defining TraitA short poem in a classical pastoral style, often called a bucolic, typically cast as a dialogue or song exchange among herdsmen or shepherds in a rural setting. 1 Sources
1. Eclogue (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section
An eclogue is a poem in a classical style on a pastoral subject.
Classical beginnings section, on Virgil's ten Eclogae
Found there was a sophisticated mixture of pastoral dialogues, song contests and contemporary references.
Classical beginnings section, imitators
Virgil's term was used by later Latin poets to refer to their own pastoral poetry, often in imitation of Virgil, as in the cases of the Eclogae of Calpurnius Siculus and the Eclogae of Nemesianus.
Classical beginnings section, origin
As a genre of poetry, eclogues began with the Latin poet Virgil, whose collection of ten Eclogae was ultimately modelled on the Idylls of Theocritus.
View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.