pastoral

     

Pastoral, as an ajective, refers to the lifestyle of shepherds and pastoralists, moving livestock around larger areas of land according to seasons and availability of water and feed. "Pastoral" also describes literature, art and music which depicts the life of shepherds, often in a highly idealised manner. It may also be used as a noun (a pastoral) to describe a single work of pastoral poetry, music or drama. An alternative name for the literary "pastoral" (both as an adjective and a noun) is bucolic, from the Greek βουκóλος, meaning a "cowherd". This reflects the Greek origin of the pastoral tradition.

Trivia about pastoral

  • From the Latin for "shepherd", it's a literary work idealizing rural life
  • Beethoven's 6th isn't called the "Bucolic" symphony, but this
  • Cervantes' "La Galatea" was this type of romance that typically involves a society of shepherds