10 THE IDYL IX CLASSIC LITERATURE. 



Li the literature of the world idyllic and pastoral poetiy has 

 flourished especiaUv during four periods. It first appeared in the 

 thii-d century before Christ in the idyls of Theocri- 

 The Four Great tus. followed by those of Bion and Moschus. Then 

 Periods of Idyl- in the first century before the Christian era, Vergil 

 lie Literature. laid the foundation of his poetic fame by ^tI- 

 ting his allegorical idyls,, in which he found many 

 imitators. The third period has its roots in the Italian Eenais- 

 sance, which eTentually produced the allegorical pastoral drama 

 and romance, affecting and moulding the literature of all Europe, 

 especially of the other romance countries and of England. In 

 Germany, where the Keformation completely absorbed aU other 

 interests, it did not assert its influence before the beginning of the 

 seventeenth century, when Opitz introduced the shepherd drama, 

 and "VTeckherlin the pastoi'al idyl, the influence of Opitz being 

 paramount in Gennan literature for a hundred years. 



The fourth great period in which idyllic literature flourished 

 belongs espec-ially to Germany. During the latter hah of the six- 

 teenth century this literature agam took the form of the idji 

 proper, burstmg into bloom in the works of numerous authors. 

 In Gessner the ideaUzed pastoral idyl reached its culmination; a 

 reaction necessarily followed, and the idyls of MiiUer and Toss 

 came back to a realistic portrayal of actual life, as is found in 

 Theocritus. The circle was complete. 



These different periods have, of course, organic connection 

 with each other. Hence it seems necessary to give a short sketch 

 of the characteristics of the preceding periods as an introduction 

 to the main subject. 



During the great classical age of Hellas, the Greek, ■•the most 

 versatile man the sun ever shone on," as Gosche^ says, had seem- 



1 See the excellent article by Dr. Richard Gosche in Arcbiv fiir Litteratur- 

 geseliicbte, Vol. I. (1870), pp. 169-227: Idyll und Dorfgescbicbte itn Altertum 

 und Mittelalter. 



