Oaten Reeds and Trumpets: Pastoral and Epic in Virgil, Spenser, and Milton

Thorough study of the essential interdependence of the pastoral and epic genres. Proceeds historically from Virgil tracing the evolution of the heroic toward the increasing accommodation of the pastoral. Establishes principles for interpreting the works of major poets who set out to resolve the tensions between imagination and reality, contemplation and action, poetry and prophecy.