Abstract
The yearning to return to an idyllic ideal or a paradise of a long-lost past seems to be inherent in all men regardless of time and situation, and the poets have been the spokesmen for this dream. Garden poetry is variously reflected in the works of Hesiod, Homer, Virgil, Ovid, Ariosto, Tasso, Petrarch, Dante. The emblematic meaning of garden poetry during the European Renaissance and the prevalence of real garden at the time enormously inspires the imagination of the English poet to invent an ideal “England garden.” In addition, the progression of the spirit of nationalism that results from Reformation enables the court poet with political ideal ardently anticipates the coming of Elizabeth an empire garden. The Renaissance English poets metaphorically take a state or a “body politic” as a garden, which could be evidenced in the tradition of literature, politics, culture and religion at the time. Sir Philip Sidney, a courtier-poet-warrior of the sixteenth century England, zealously wrote his ideal of Elizabethan England into his pastoral romance, <i>New Arcadia</i>. This paper, while centering on the courtly culture, literary tradition and political ideal, attempts to present Sidney’s imagination of Elizabethan empire as a garden that is literally constructed in <i>New Arcadia</i> and hopefully reflects the humanistic ideal of the intellectuals of English Renaissance---the construction of a harmonious Elizabethan garden.
Highlights
Though considered as a spare-time writer, Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586) won the title as one of the best, and certainly one of the most influential poets of his time
Narrative features of New Arcadia are variously mentioned by the critics, among whom some suppose the significance of the interrelationship of the episodes while others focus on the thematic connection of the main plot and the episodes
The Renaissance English poets metaphorically take a state or a “body politic” as a garden, which can be evidenced in the literary works of this period
Summary
Though considered as a spare-time writer, Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586) won the title as one of the best, and certainly one of the most influential poets of his time. English Language, Literature & Culture 2020; 5(4): 139-146 in their literary invention, it seems that the Elizabethans, especially those who were learned men and had been taught to use their talent in the service of the commonwealth, share an optimistic view to the future of England and prefer to construct an imaginative England of empire garden As his contemporaries do, Sidney, the son of the Governor of Ireland and nephew of Leicester, the Queen’s favorite, who fully expected to serve the court and actively participated in the matters of the court, reflectively presents his imagination of the Elizabethan empire as a garden in the pastoral world of New Arcadia. Sidney’s Arcadia is taken as the pastoral romance where the life of the royal members and the deeds of the heroes are portrayed in the shepherds’ world, but with the revision, Sidney put the emphasis on the qualities of pastoral garden that are enclosed physically and metaphorically, and the harmony, ease, order and peace are celebrated under the guiding forces of the female characters whose presence makes Arcadia an earthly paradise
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